In January 2020, Kelly Gilbert felt as if her life was at a standstill.<\/p>

The new mom was suffering from postpartum depression. She had just resigned from her security job of seven years, unable to take the stress. To make extra money, she began driving for ride-sharing companies, but she had to take her infant daughter along. As she struggled to make ends meet, she faced eviction from her home.<\/p>

\u201cI was overwhelmed. I knew I couldn\u2019t give up, but I knew I didn\u2019t have the energy to keep putting on a brave face,\u201d said Gilbert, 32. \u201cI didn\u2019t have the fight in me.\u201d<\/p>

Then a friend told Gilbert about a new program from Atlanta-based nonprofit Women in Technology (WIT) that could help her launch a career in information technology. The application was due in four days so Gilbert called her contacts with an urgent request for recommendations and submitted the application in time.<\/p>

During the interview, she was sure the panel would not take her seriously.<\/p>

\u201cHow will you do this when you just walked away from your job?\u201d one panel member asked.<\/p>

\u201cI am going to show my daughter that she can do whatever she wants to do,\u201d Gilbert replied, crying.<\/p>

A few days later, while she was driving for Uber, Gilbert got the call. She had been offered a spot in the program. \u201cI felt like I had hope,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cI said, \u2018This is your light.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

In a matter of weeks, the outbreak of a global pandemic would result in unprecedented numbers of women exiting the workforce, giving way to the lowest level of female participation in the workforce in more than three decades. Men have recouped all of their labor force losses since February 2020, but there are still nearly 1.1 million fewer women in the labor force, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report.<\/p>

Thirty years ago, a group of women launched Women in Technology because they didn\u2019t see other women in leadership roles. At the time, they were mostly concerned with networking, said WIT board president Patti Dismukes.<\/p>

Read the full article about women in tech by Nedra Rhone at The 74.

The fast-growing fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are providing opportunities for\u00a0well-paying\u00a0jobs\u00a0for millions of\u00a0U.S.\u00a0workers. Community colleges play an essential role in helping students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to join the\u00a0STEM\u00a0economy, especially\u00a0students of color,\u00a0students from low-income backgrounds, and\u00a0first-generation students. For example, millions of community college students are currently enrolled in developmental math classes to prepare for college-level classes such as calculus, a critical requirement in a\u00a0STEM-focused degree. But very few of these students will make it to and enroll in the courses that lead to a\u00a0STEM\u00a0degree. This includes a disproportionate number of students of color, who are overrepresented in but less likely to pass developmental-level courses; and women, who are underrepresented in college-level math courses despite passing developmental-level courses at higher rates than men.<\/p>

In recent years, several organizations have been focusing on improving underserved students\u2019 access to and success in\u00a0STEM\u00a0majors or areas of study. In 2019,\u00a0MDRC\u00a0partnered with one of these groups,\u00a0Growth Sector, to study the implementation of the organization\u2019s\u00a0STEM\u00a0Core program at three community colleges: Ohlone College and Santa Ana College in California, and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) in Maryland.<\/p>

STEM\u00a0Core aims to build student engagement and interest in\u00a0STEM-based careers through an academic, yearlong program that (1) accelerates the completion of developmental and college-level math courses; (2) emphasizes the real-world context in\u00a0STEM\u00a0curricula\u00a0and instruction; (3) creates a cohort-based learning community for students; (4) provides intensive student supports; and (5) provides paid internship opportunities. Growth Sector\u2019s overall\u00a0STEM\u00a0Core network\u00a0currently includes more than 30 institutions across five states. This brief, which was supported by\u00a0Arnold Ventures, provides a summary of lessons learned from\u00a0MDRC\u2019s implementation study that can further inform the work that college leaders, practitioners, and other\u00a0STEM\u00a0education stakeholders are doing to make\u00a0STEM\u00a0programs more inclusive and responsive to the interests and needs of a diverse student population.<\/p>