PUBLISHED

Rebecca Trinklein: Bringing Girls Into STEM Fields

Part of the Senior Stories, Class of 2017 Series
Rebecca Trinkelein: Duke has been an incredible part of my life for the last four years. It has brought me close friendships, helped me discover my passions, and given me the opportunity to participate in countless activities with diverse groups of people
By Duke Today Staff

Rebecca Trinklein

Hometown: New Canaan, Connecticut
Double Major: Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, Computer Science
Clubs/Organizations: Duke University Wind Symphony, Delta Gamma
Post-graduation plans: This summer I will be teaching for Girls Who Code in New York City, and starting in the fall I will pursue a career in consulting in Washington, D.C. 
Favorite Duke memory or what Duke has meant to you: Duke has been an incredible part of my life for the last four years. It has brought me close friendships, helped me discover my passions, and given me the opportunity to participate in countless activities with diverse groups of people. I would not be the person I am today were it not for Duke and the exposure it has given me to new subjects and people. 

Rebecca Trinklein, from New Canaan, Connecticut, spent a summer as part of the Partnership for Appalachian Girls’ Education (PAGE) program, focusing on providing education and enrichment to underserved rural girls. Her work focused specifically on piquing their interest in coding, hopefully empowering them to pursue a career in STEM.

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For Rebecca, the work was rewarding. “There’s something rare that STEM provides for the girls at PAGE. It is pride and creativity, a platform on which dreamed hypotheticals and unique creations are made reality. Each girl is encouraged to believe in her capabilities and to believe that she can make mere ideas materialize. It is an empowering bonding experience, the creation of a community of young women who will grow up to be confident, self-assured leaders of the world,” she said.

This summer she will be teaching coding for the Summer Immersion Program with Girls Who Code, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology.

The summer immersion is a free seven-week program for high school juniors and seniors where they learn coding and get exposure to tech jobs.

Rebecca was also flute section leader in the Duke Wind Symphony.

Read more about Rebecca.