Becoming something you’ve never first learned about is nearly impossible.
Jamila Lindo picked up on this when she noticed that the young girls she tutored were taken aback that she went to college to be a civil engineer. The group of middle and high schoolers wasn’t exposed to the different careers in STEM.
From there, the Norwalk resident chose to take action in enacting change.
In March 2021, Lindo self-published her children’s book “Girls Can Be Engineers,” CT Insider reports. Her debut book aims to open young girls’ minds to the world of STEM and the possibilities of their future careers.
From her experience as an adolescent to college, Lindo saw firsthand the gender stereotypes when it came to who could pursue specific roles. But hence her book’s title, young girls and women are capable of whatever they dream to achieve.
“Anyone should be able to do anything — regardless of their gender. That was a big point of the book,” Lindo told the outlet.
Although Lindo self-published the book, she had a lot of support in her corner to bring her vision to life. The outlet notes that she built a team out by joining Facebook groups, sharing her manuscript, researching freelancers online, and securing her editor, proofreader, and illustrator.
While the book tackles the stereotypes that women can’t succeed in STEM, Lindo believes that her book portrays what diversity is supposed to look like.
Currently, “Girls Can Be Engineers” is available on Amazon and the South Norwalk branch of the Norwalk Public Library.
“My book is in the same space as [famous writers’] books,” she said. “That feels so good to know that you’ve accomplished something to that scale.”
Since its release, teachers have expressed to Lindo that they’ve included both the English and Spanish versions of the book in their classrooms.
