PET projects, projects that are inspired by personal interests, are driven by the passions of many West Ranch students. Class of 2022 seniors Charlotte Kim, Shazaib Lalani and Avery Salin are each founders of their own club PET projects here at West Ranch, dedicating three to four years into their clubs: Kim for
ICSTEM, Lalani for SalaamShalom and Salin for Girl Up. Starting from the beginning of their freshman and sophomore years, all three devoted seniors have grown with their clubs and are now passing them down for other high school students to continue their legacy.
After learning that females make up less than 30% of people in STEM fields, senior Charlotte Kim knew she had to make a change. Inspired by Tech Trek, a STEM-based summer camp for women, she founded Inspired and Connected by STEM— ICSTEM—a club that aims to close the gender gap in the male-dominated industry. ICSTEM encourages female students to pursue STEM fields by bringing in guest speakers and providing further insight into the various STEM careers. Each speaker visits West Ranch to explain their career, their experiences working in their respective fields and the importance of women in STEM. “We want to prove that STEM is not just for men, since it is a male-dominated field. There is space for women too,” Kim emphasized. Leading the club since freshman year, Kim has contacted numerous universities such as UCLA and UC Berkeley to partner with ICSTEM. Kim explained, “We collaborated with UC Berkeley Big Data over distance-learning to introduce Python and Data Science and with UCLA City Lab this spring where our ICSTEM members worked with STEM majors at UCLA.” After she graduates, Kim hopes the club continues to expand so that more female students can join the STEM field. She expressed, “I feel confident that the new officers will do amazing things with this club and will continue to carry on the legacy of ICSTEM. I have high hopes for them all.” Her strong passion for gender equality in STEM continues to inspire many members to pursue jobs in these fields, and her legacy will continue to live on for many years through her lasting impact here at West Ranch.
