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AAUW grant recipient to speak at Saturday luncheon
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Adamaka Ajaelo, Executive Director and Founder of Self-eSTEM, will address a meeting of joint branches of the AAUW at a Saturday, Feb. 1 luncheon meeting. Photo Contributed

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education for girls and STEM careers for women is one of the top initiatives supported by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). The Association recently awarded a Community Action Grant to Adamaka Ajaelo, an Oakland native, mathematician, and STEM trailblazer. Ajaelo will speak at a joint branch luncheon of the Oakdale, Riverbank, Escalon and Turlock, Modesto Branches of AAUW beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Fruit Yard Restaurant. Ajaelo is the Founding Executive Director of Self-eSTEM, a non-profit organization whose mission is to ignite pride, purpose, and possibility among girls by providing STEM training that strengthens digital, technical, and leadership skills. She points out that STEM careers pay wages two to four times higher than the U.S. average national wage; however black, indigenous and other women of color in STEM are grossly under represented.

Self-eSTEM is working to change that by inspiring girls of color to pursue careers in STEM. Since 2014 Self-eSTEM has helped develop the self-esteem of 1,600+ girls through activities in their free Early STEM Immersion Program.

“I am truly excited to share more about our Community Action Grant and the impact of Self-eSTEM’s Early STEM Immersion Program,” Ajaelo said. “I’m looking forward to connecting with AAUW members for such a meaningful event.”

Ajaelo received her B.A. in mathematics from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA and her M.B.A. in Finance and Leadership-Management from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. Before pivoting to the non-profit sphere, she spent 17-plus years working in the areas of Finance, Operations, People Analytics and Workforce Planning for top global companies including Kaiser Permanente, Cisco Systems, Workday, Meta (Facebook) and Adobe.

Prospective members can get more information about AAUW’s mission and programs by emailing membership director, Gail Marganelli at gmarganelli@att.net.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) advances gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and more than 800 college and university members. Learn more at www.aauw.org. Branch information is at http://ore-ca.aauw.net or by emailing the branch at AAUW.ORE@gmail.com. Graduates holding an associates or higher degree from an institution of the AAUW list of qualified institutions and persons holding an honorary degree are eligible for membership in AAUW.