CHLOE GELACIO
“W
hy can’t I play with you?” I asked. “I
can play basketball. Scared you’re going to lose?”
I am not a waste of a woman
“No!”, the boy fires back. “We don’t like playing with girls cause we have to give you special treatment.” If you’re gonna make it easy for me just because I’m a girl, then that’s not my problem, that’s yours. I’m just here to play ball. I was born a girl and I’ve been proving my worth
to suggest the same idea, it is not only carefully
to be in the playing field since I was young. We’re
considered but also credited to him. To have male
taught what we can’t do, how we must behave, and
peers not believe that your answer is correct, and
that ‘special treatment’ means we don’t belong.
instead seek confirmation from another male peer,
That’s never stopped me from doing what I love
or otherwise double check your working them-
and what I’m good at. We learn early on how things
selves, before they believe that you are right. To
work, that we will always have to prove ourselves
have male peers ‘mansplain’ your own research to
before we can be taken seriously. I study in the
you. To endure casual sexist comments in class
male-dominated field of engineering. Although we
from either professors or male peers. And most of
have a very good percentage of female students in
all, to feel that extra pressure to succeed not only
Renewable Energy, we still have a long way to go,
as proof that women can be successful in this field,
but I am lucky to have supportive female peers.
but also to be a good role model for the next gen-
I had known from an early age that I would
eration of girls.
pursue a career in STEM. From my 15 years of ac-
Whatever I put my mind to, my parents were
ademic experience, I’ve learned that it is not un-
always supportive and never let me doubt my own
common to walk into a classroom and see only
capabilities. All those times I was called bossy or a
a handful of other women there. To see peers
bitch only fuelled my leadership skills and drive to
assume your capabilities before you even start
pursue what I want to achieve. All those times I was
working together; to have your contributions dis-
underestimated by my male peers only made me
missed pre-emptively, but if a male colleague were
more confident and assertive. I’m an overachiever,
