What's Next In: How to inspire girls to pursue STEM careers

Susan Warner and Abena Danso-Manu both developed a love for STEM from their mothers. Danso-Manu’s mother, a statistics professor in Ghana, and Warner’s mother, a self-taught bookkeeper, sparked a flame in their daughters that eventually connected them years later through Girls4Tech, the award-winning STEM education program that Warner founded in 2014. In the latest episode of “What’s Next In,” Mastercard’s podcast that informally explores technology, innovation and ideas, host Vicki Hyman sits down with Danso-Manu and Warner to discuss G4T, which has now reached more than 2 million girls in 50 countries.

The original goal was to engage our employees as role models and mentors in the subjects they’re most passionate about -- these can range from cryptology and algorithms to fraud detection, biometrics and Big Data. Danso-Manu recently spearheaded the first Girls4Tech program in West Africa, mentoring girls in her home country of Ghana, to reach, she says, another “little Abena.”

During the conversation, they detail the importance of female representation and perspectives, their personal journeys, and the visible impact of the program.