Kristel Bell is on a mission to empower students and educators in the classroom and beyond. Growing up, Bell was exposed to computer science early on since her mother worked in the field. Bell and her siblings were encouraged to consider engineering programs and coding classes throughout their education. Fast forward, Bell ultimately went on to pursue a business degree at Michigan State University. Yet, she never lost her passion for STEM. So, alongside her mother and sisters, they launched Black Girls Movement i n 2016. The nonprofit helps Black girls fight systemic racism by providing equal access to STEM education and resources. “We just wanted to create opportunities for young Black girls to learn because a lot of Black girls don’t have the financial resources that they need in comparison to others. We wanted to make sure that with our programming, we always paired them with financial support by giving out scholarships,” Bell told AfroTech.