On May 7, 2026, students from Sojourner Truth Independent Study and Bonney Lake High School joined IGNITE for a powerful virtual IGNITE Panel focused on Women of Color in STEM. The event brought together an inspiring group of leaders across engineering, cybersecurity, software development, and technology leadership to share their personal journeys, career advice, and experiences navigating STEM industries.
The Panel featured Sydney Hamilton, Senior Program Manager of an Autonomous Submarine Program at Boeing and founder of See Syd Soar; Ryan Barner, founder of ProTag and former software engineer at Netflix; Jo Justice, Director and Business Information Security Officer at Leidos; and Sailaja Malladi, Director of Technology Platforms at Stealth Startup. The discussion was facilitated by Michale Taylor, founder of Michale Taylor & Associates LLC, with technical support from Fethiye Starmach, Web Implementation Engineer at Oracle.
Students asked thoughtful questions about career discovery, hobbies outside of work, what a typical workday looks like, and what advice the Panelists would give to their younger selves. They were especially interested in hearing how the speakers chose their career paths, what inspired them to pursue engineering and technology, and how they balanced professional success with self-care and personal interests.
Panelists emphasized the importance of authenticity, courage, and resilience. They encouraged students to embrace failure as part of growth, manage self-doubt with confidence and support systems, and stay open to new opportunities as they transition from school into future careers. Educators shared that the most impactful parts of the event were the honest discussions about personal journeys, goal setting, career guidance, and mental wellness.
“I got inspired by the people who volunteered to talk about STEM. The volunteers inspired me with the work they shared with us!”
6th Grade IGNITE Student
“I learned to never give up on my dream! I learned to keep trying for my dream! Thank you for volunteering!”
6th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today’s event inspired me because when talking about their careers and jobs and inspirations that also talked about their personal life and how they don’t give that up to have a career. They still get to do the thing they love and also have time to do hobbies and interests they have.”
11th Grade IGNITE Student
“My favorite thing about today was the QA part, it was a way for members to participate and also hear from the professionals.”
11th Grade IGNITE Student
STUDENTS SURVEYED FOLLOWING PARTICIPATION IN THIS EVENT REPORTED...
100%
INTERESTED IN STEM
75%
KNOW MORE ABOUT STEM CAREERS & THE BENEFITS OF WORKING IN STEM
75%
FEEL MORE CONFIDENT
IN PURSUING STEM
81%
GAINED PERSPECTIVE & FEEL MORE HOPEFUL ABOUT THE FUTURE
Additional Student Feedback:
“Thursday’s event inspired me so that I can pursue my future.” – 6th Grade IGNITE Student
“My favorite thing was learning about the volunteers!” – 6th Grade IGNITE Student
“My favorite thing about what I learned was meeting the IGNITE group and asking them questions. And, I loved how each and every one of the members from the team were talking to us like we were family members because they were answering everything confidently, and I LOVE confident people!!” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
Thank you to our IGNITE Volunteers and Educators:
- Sydney Hamilton
- Ryan Barner
- Jo Justice
- Sailaja Malladi
- Michale Taylor
- Fethiye Starmach
- Christina Walker
- Heather Meuli
About IGNITE Worldwide:
IGNITE Worldwide is a 501(c)3 nonprofit STEM education organization that aims to change gender and racial equity in STEM permanently and systematically. We work directly with teachers during the school day to provide programming that promotes gender equity and representation in STEM academics and careers. Through our award-winning program, IGNITE provides engaging, hands-on events that connect students with STEM professionals from industry leaders from around the world. Learn more at igniteworldwide.org.