Cleared for Takeoff: Inside BGDE Drone Pilot Training

What happens when young women are given the opportunity to take flight?

In this special episode of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast, we hear directly from participants of the BGDE Drone Pilot Training as they reflect on their journey through hands-on aviation and drone technology.

From learning the fundamentals of drone operations and flight safety to building confidence behind the controls, these young women share what challenged them, what excited them, and how the experience changed the way they see themselves and their future careers.

Throughout the conversation, they discuss the importance of teamwork, problem-solving, and the technical skills they developed while exploring one of the fastest-growing industries in STEM. They also reflect on earning new knowledge, connecting with mentors, and discovering career opportunities in aviation, engineering, robotics, surveying, public safety, filmmaking, logistics, and emerging technologies.

This episode is a celebration of curiosity, confidence, and what's possible when girls are given access to experiences that prepare them for the future of work.

Whether you're a student, parent, educator, or STEM advocate, you'll leave inspired by the voices of the next generation of innovators who are proving that the sky is not the limit—it's just the beginning.

🎧 Tune in and hear how these future STEM leaders are taking flight—one mission, one lesson, and one drone at a time.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:56

So, welcome back to Black Girls New Engineer Podcast. I'm Cara Branch, founder and CEO of Black Girls New Engineer and Chemical Engineer. So today we'll be talking about all things summer again. So this is a very active summer at Black Girls Do Engineer. We normally have active gears at about 30 events in one year, but this summer we ramp it up from one camp to three. Three full camps, and also we have some other events in there and opening up a Detroit location. I mean, we had a busy summer ahead of us. But today I have some fantastic high schoolers. They'll introduce their desk their selves shortly to you all, but we're mostly just going to be talking about drone training. Okay, they are our first cohort of drone trainees. I call them drone pilots now. We'll get into why, because we just wrapped up our drone training on today. But we'll talk about what that meant to them, how's training been going, and then they have participated in other things. We talk about that retention rate. They just keep coming back. And so they participate in other things within the org. So we'll talk about how that's impacted them. So this episode is most definitely for future drone pilots, parents who want your children to have access to this technology that is one of the top 10 projected jobs going forward in the future. You all know we're futuristic. And of course, my partners. Without my partners, this would not be possible. This camp was sponsored by one of my airlife partners. And so I appreciate them fully for them pouring back into the community. And so we're going to get into it. So, girls, welcome to the podcast. Some of you have been here before, so welcome back. I'm just gonna go down the road. I'm gonna start with Kinsley. Just tell the people who you are. First name only, you know how I am, and then tell them what grade you are and and what you want to be.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

My name is Kinsley. I'm going to the 10th grade, and right now I want to be a chemical engineer.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Reagan? Hi guys, I'm Reagan, and I am a rising freshman in college at the University of Oklahoma, and I am going to be an environmental engineer.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Hi, I'm Ryan. I'm going to ninth grade, and I want to be a biomedical engineer. Love it.

SPEAKER_03 3:21

All great things, all future engineers. We do it, but we have to do here. So let's back up, son. So we've talked about every engineer but your own pilot. So, how did you all end up here in this chaos?

SPEAKER_02 3:38

So honestly, I'm good to everything black girls do engineering. So this is just like, oh, we have an event. Okay, let me sign up and let's go. I really didn't know that it was gonna be like actually flying drones. Yeah, I just thought we were just gonna be learning about them and then just like that's it.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

Also, when they popped out, you was like, oh, I was like, I got happy.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

No, I love that. What about you, Reagan? I saw your email. I got the email in advance, and I knew because I am about to start school in two weeks that my schedule is gonna be all over the place. So I was trying to make sure that I kind of like cleared it in a way. So I just got back from DC working through some things, and I was like, I knew I had to be here because all of your events are always so exciting. So, and then when I got here, I was like, wait, we're actually learning about not only just the drones themselves, but also how to use them and take care of them and how to also use them the right way. So it was very exciting when I got your email.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Love that. What about you, Ryan? I definitely wanted to do something again this year because camp last year was pretty fun. I enjoyed it and I wanted to do something again. So my mom told me that there was a high school camp. I was like, yeah, let's do it. And like seeing the drones, it was like, whoa, we're gonna be flying a drone. So that was fun.

SPEAKER_03 5:05

Yeah, I love that. I love that you all are repeat, keep coming back from more day, let's know we're doing our job. Gotta shout out, Mr. Ricky, for my listeners. You know, Mr. Ricky, it's my spouse, we do this, right? We get this done. And yeah, no, he knows that I have a creative, innovative mind. And I looked at him one day and I said, let's go teach girls how to fly drones and get certified in drone, right? Technology. Because many people don't know that you can do that as early as 16 years old. So I challenged him in the midst of us building our own tech products to excess. It's been a lot of fun, my listeners now, to get his certification in the midst of it all. And I said, I put it on the calendar because this is when it's happening, and we're gonna get it done. And so Mr. Ricky was able to show up and show out. It has been phenomenal. I mean, he went from everything from the planning to the drone type he wanted and to how he wants you all to be learning how this mission should work. Who knows to him? I mean, I just stood there and supported him. It feels good when you have a great teammate because I do a lot. So I gave it to him through the ball and his support, and he rocked it. So, how do y'all feel, girls? Do y'all agree? Yes, yeah, he did a great job. So he continuously enjoys showing up for the girls in this program because he knows y'all are phenomenal. And so we continue. I tell y'all this all the time, to upskill ourselves so that we can continue to upskill you. So day one, drone camp. How was it? That's when the drones, y'all thinking that it was gonna be real. Them drones started showing up in the room. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Something else. Day one was definitely when we first saw them, it was like a whoa. We thought we were just gonna look at them, analyze them, and then we actually had to try flying them in the first room. That was very, it wasn't chaotic, but it was definitely well, maybe chaotic is maybe chaotic is the right word. Because we were still trying to figure out how to get the controls right. Because for one, they were very sensitive and new to us. So we were still trying to figure out how to maneuver it.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Might have hit a couple walls and went to close us in the process, but make sure y'all don't have plants around when y'all are trying to fly knee starting. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 7:26

Yeah, yeah. Drone flying is, and we'll talk about all the things you all learned, but drone flying, you know, look, people get a drone and just go outside and start flying. Y'all all learned this week that is not what easy. It's not easy and it's not okay. There's a lot of regulations that go into it that you learned this week too. But yeah, it gets real. We, me and Mr. Ricky and I, we did talk several times. He was like outside, I was like inside. I wanted inside because it was gonna be more controlled, also because there's a lot of regulations, and also because we're in Texas, man. It's hot at seven, eight o'clock in the morning, and I could not put y'all in that heat, no time in the day. So we were like, we came up with the best action plan, which worked out really well. Y'all are probably the most controlled drone flyers that we know because of that. So day one, y'all were like, okay, she's for real. Like, we about to put this control in our hands and fly, which y'all did really good, by the way. Because many of you, all of you, actually had never flown a drone really before. So I was very surprised. So, like day two, after day one, y'all still came back for day two. We looked around, everybody was still game. So we knew we were doing something right. And so, how was day two? What did y'all learn about? Tell me a little bit about that, and how did it go?

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Oh, okay. Day two, day two was what it was we worked on our levels and we worked on well, I it was my first day, so we worked on controlling, or I worked on how to fly the drone. I think it was it was fun, but it was pretty hard at first. But when towards the end of the day, I got it, it was easier to fly. I only hit a couple walls just a few times. It wasn't that bad though.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

So yeah, they want to let y'all know their era, which y'all think is cool, because like one thing I got to observe that at Camp for our training this week was the fact that y'all encouraged each other, right? And when you made mistakes, you let each other know that it was okay to make mistakes. And that was the beautiful part about it. We always talk about our sisterhood here, and I always tell parents like when their daughters are first engaging, it's a comfortable environment, it's a safe space. Like every time girls newly walk in here, it's open arms, it's positive energy. It's like, you like this, I like this, or I'm scared together, or y'all stick together. I've watched y'all all week just clock each other out, say you got this. Like, I loved all that. Because a lot of times I always tell people, I do get a lot of athletes that come through this program that I try to help people understand the importance of being an athlete and treating STEM as such, because I believe it is the same mentally. And y'all kind of displayed that for me this week that it is a team and that y'all got each other's back. And this was more of you all supporting each other through your next steps in your careers. And so y'all did a beautiful job at that. I mean, it lets me know I'm doing something right to be able to have you always, all of y'all, every time, create a really great environment. It's a big sisterhood. My husband always calls y'all sorority. I was like, oh my God, they're there, sisterhood. But that's how he sees it. You know, he's from the East Coast, it's a little different, but it's a beauty in it. So yeah, clocked each other up. Yeah, did a lot of like hoovering, like hovering, hovering over things. And we did a lot this week, but we focused that day on another level of control at many different levels, and yeah, we're able to accomplish that. And then we did some turning. I was turning the drone. That was good.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

I mean, the first time I did it, I kept going down instead of turning, but then I started turning better at the end, and it was it was actually turning.

SPEAKER_03 11:30

So yeah, and what was our phrase? Tell people what was our phrase that got us turned during training.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Go ahead. Oh, y'all. That's your phrase. I'll say the second part because the second part is my part. Who's in control? I'm in control.

SPEAKER_03 11:47

Yeah, so we made our own phrase this week because when you have something that you put in your hands for the first time and you're lifting it, it can be scary. But y'all took control. And what happened when y'all took control?

SPEAKER_01 12:01

Made it work.

SPEAKER_03 12:02

Yeah, it was working, it was it's calm, it was calm. The drone was doing what you told it to do, right? And so that was like the the other part of it. So then we got into day three. Like, so we're like, okay, we got you all to get that great control that you needed. Then from there, we knew y'all can walk in lines really well with your drone because of that control, and so then uh that day, that's some stuff really started getting real. What was our favorite word of the day on day three? Precision, precision, precision. Because we knew if y'all can do precision, y'all can go and fly this drone anywhere at this point, and how was that? Because that's when it got really real, because you had to connect everything you learned into like whatever we built to throw at you, right?

SPEAKER_00 12:56

So, how is that for y'all? I think precision definitely required a lot of focus. It wasn't something that we could just kind of giggle about as we were doing it. It was definitely like a okay zone, like actually lock in and zone in on what we're actually doing. So we don't forget the controls. You gotta remember what goes up and what is forward and how to turn. And when we're facing the opposite way of our drone, that right is left and then left is right. So definitely positioning ourselves to be in the right spot. So it was definitely like a mental focus day.

SPEAKER_03 13:28

Yeah, y'all would lock in. I would like to look at y'all and y'all would be locked in, which is good and focused and controlled. And what I admire, no matter what we threw at y'all, y'all were able to conquer it. I remember when we started having y'all, we brought the for y'all to fly through the hoop. Y'all looking at us like, what is going on? What is that? Are y'all for real with this? Hey, guess what? Didn't each one of y'all fly into the hoop? Yes. So it was very important for y'all to understand that. And then we also spent time not just focusing on just the flight, but the regulation part of it. Tell everybody what did y'all earn today now that we're at day four.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

Today we earned our drone certificate, which means that we are certified to have a drone and fly a drone at certain levels and recreational until you all take the next step.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

Ms. Cara told y'all what the next step would be. Oh, so okay, so Kinsley, you love who who you you were considering working for after this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

Oh, the FAA. Guys, it's only okay. So I searched it up and then I'm like, no, the FAA are the people that like control your planes and they sit on a tower and they control your planes and they make sure like nothing's wrong before you take off to fly and everything. But I searched it up. I don't think that's something I'd be interested in. You know, the money sounds good, but it's a lot, it's a lot of work. Long hours, you get no breaks.

SPEAKER_03 15:10

You get breaks. Everybody gets breakfast. Well, let's say that. That's how we got into the conversation. So I started explaining to them the shortage. So, one thing about our program, it's all about exposure. And I tell the girls, you tried this today, you don't like it. I'm okay with you not liking it. At least you tried it. And then the next day you can go try something else. That's how we work here, right? And so I was telling them about the shortages that we're having for my professionals. Y'all know we have shortages everywhere, right? Across our industry. But in this particular instance, because we're focusing on aviation, right? That's what this really is. I started telling them about the airport, of course, and all the greatness that comes with it and my experiences on the flight, how I love all the physics and stuff. They wasn't probably feeling that too much because they like to sleep on the planes, right? But we got into the FAA because we started talking about air traffic control, right? With the regulation part. And they learned a lot about it. That's they have a huge part with drone, right? The drones and things like that. And so Kinsley was considering it as an option. And now that she's done more research, which I encourage, may not be her option. You know, she's still young and she's still working her way to decide whether that may be, maybe she's chemical engineering, she's still working her way there. But the good news is they know who they are, they know what they do, they know the importance that of the impact that they make on everyone, every day's flights. And so that was the coolest part. And then how they play a huge part with the drones as well in the sky. So we learned about that this week, and it was uh beautiful. So now they get to walk away with their recreational flying, right? Certificates, so they can't, and they know all the rules and regulations on that. We spent four days on it. So if you're interested, Kinsley told me I have to have another drone training. It was an option. Then we encourage you to sign up for a future Black Girls who engineer drone training. It's solely for high school, but you know, my youngest, what, she's seven. She was able to get one in the air. I just don't, you know, but we're we don't want people to think there's limitations on what you can do with this futuristic technology. The girls here are learning things exactly that adult professionals are learning. We've had several adults stop by and say they wish that we were training them. It's been a beautiful week. So let's talk about like each one. We'll start with you, Kinsley. What was your favorite part about the training as a whole?

SPEAKER_02 17:40

My favorite part about the training definitely had to be flying the drones because the information is good, but I'm a very hands-on person. So the all the crashes and the ups and downs that really helps with you being able to master what you're doing. So I really like that we got to actually fly the drones because I was I was thinking that we're just gonna see them, we're just gonna be knowing the parts and like what goes into it, but actually flying it, that was my favorite part.

SPEAKER_03 18:15

The unknown. Y'all always walking here like, what is Mathara about the episode? Okay. But no, y'all got to actually fly them on day one hours ago. I love that. So, Frankie, what was your favorite part?

SPEAKER_00 18:28

Of course, flying the drones. I thought that was really fun, but I also really enjoyed Mr. Ricky's explanation as we went along and tried to like learn and understand the rules and regulations of flying the drones. Because I also feel like like even the modules were actually not, they weren't always boring. Like he always did just such a great job teaching and informing us. So it was never boring to me. Like we took notes, we were doing the modules, we even worked through some of them together, and no one was alone. So it didn't feel like, oh, one person's ahead of me on the module. We did it together, we were on pace together, and it was really enjoyable for me because I was learning as I was going along with it, and I can keep that knowledge forever.

SPEAKER_03 19:10

So, yeah, he does really do a great job at that. He's trained virtually, so I think he was very excited to do it in person. Yeah, go ahead, Ryan. What was your favorite part?

SPEAKER_01 19:21

Flying. I I wanted to fly, and whenever I found out that we were gonna be like controlling the drones, I was like, whoa. So flying was my favorite. Watching everybody fly was nice, supporting everybody, even though almost I think everybody hit a wall. So we were all like, that's fine. As long as you do it again and better, that's fine. So that was fun.

SPEAKER_03 19:51

Yeah, I love to hear y'all all say y'all love flying because on day one, nobody was like, I love flying. So that means we did our job. So today we did celebrate, you know, your accomplishments of being recreational flyers now. So, what did you get?

SPEAKER_02 20:09

We got a drum.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Yeah, we got a drum.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

And I thought it was so funny because you were definitely like I told you I had to just show me for me that you know, I always try to give y'all things that when I was so, let me say this. When I was your age and younger, I got a lot of awards, right? But they were always paper. And which that's great too. But you know, sometimes you want a medal, sometimes you want something that you can put in a nice box and pull out and show people in the future, right? Because paper doesn't always do that. I mean, you can laminate it, but I mean, who and my mom, she wasn't about to do all that, right? So I always try to make sure you get great things that you can cherish, but also it's always important that I don't give you a great drone and it sits. I told you, I don't want to sit in your closet. I want it just sitting somewhere because they are expensive. And I want to make sure you're using your skill set to develop. And so when I seen how everybody was rocking it, because one day wanted me on the Twitch off. Ms. Ricky was like, all right, we need to send them home with drones. Like he already was flying. He was like, it's happening. And I was like, well, let's see. I want to make sure because I know they're very expensive devices. And again, shout out to my partners for this investment to be able to do this. And I wanted to make sure after you all had got your certificate, you knew the regulations on flying, I want to make sure y'all were going to go fly. Right. And so, you know, I got to the end of yesterday and I felt like y'all were. I felt like y'all were serious about it. Kids, don't look like that. Y'all look and so I was like, let's let's do it. And so I came with an open heart and mind. And then For my my listeners and my following, if you follow us on social media, I tell them what we have to do, right? I want some pictures, I want some videos so we all can track together. That they still flying. Right. Because again, this is a top-growing industry. Y'all are a group of few that know how to do this. So y'all can change other people's lives as role models through this endeavor. And also, Matar told y'all, side hustles, right? And I also want to see y'all get to the next level of your cert. So that's another thing. But now, yeah, y'all proved me. Like I felt good. So now y'all have drones and you got a certificate from us. So hopefully, you know, I tell y'all what to do with those certificates. Don't put them in the drawer either. Those are resume builders. But for my girls who are in high school listening, you want to do something like this. I mean, you walk away with greatness, right? Don't y'all feel? It's not like you're just showing this is like we're building you to be something great and all those things. So that's drone training. Drone training has been amazing. I'm very proud of y'all. Y'all have accomplished everything we've thrown in front of y'all. And what would you tell the people last note on that? Like if they're interested in it, you know? What would you say to them to encourage them to do something like this? Well, whoever's got this one, guys.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

Okay. Don't be afraid to try something new. Because when I first started camp over here, I didn't know if I wanted to do engineering. I really just needed something to do over the summer. And now I'm actually interested in engineering and I know what kind of engineer I want to be. So just try it. If you don't like it, you don't like it. But I mean, you'll never know. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:48

To piggyback off of what she said, I definitely say come in to different places and trying different things. Like, do it with an open mind because that's the only way that you're gonna be able to get something out of it. So don't come in and be like, okay, I guess we're just gonna do drones. Like, come and be like, okay, we're gonna work on drones. Let's see what we're gonna do today. Let's, you know, work on the stuff that I was challenged with, like the next day. Like, I just think that it's a learning experience every time you go, you learn new things. And yeah, it's just it's fun to learn new things. So, like, come in with an open mind, be ready to learn.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

I think my only piece of advice would be to is definitely basically what Kinsley said, like basically come into it with an open mind. Don't be, and also your mindset, like don't automatically think, oh, my parents just signed me up for something else because it's not gonna be what you think it is. And don't, and just because it is or maybe difficult for you, don't give up on yourself. Keep going and just don't allow anybody else to tell you you don't belong here or you can't do it because you can't give up on yourself. You just have to try. So just try, put a little effort in. Beautifully said, and I would add, don't take it for granted.

SPEAKER_03 25:11

So here's the thing: like, black girls do engineer started in Houston. We get a lot of love from Houston for sure. Reagan told me I just need to be here in Houston. I guess he's on these planes. But I think one thing they learned this week, we had somebody fly in from New Mexico, actually drove. Her and her mom drove 12 hours to be here for stuff like this. I've told you, girls, we have girls who've come from Egypt to do these things in Houston. Don't take this opportunity for granted. And if you see black girls do engineer pulling up in your city, try it. Because there's many girls, especially here in Houston, because I know this is home. Yeah, like Black Girls Do Engineer has a lot going on. Y'all have a lot going on. I encourage you to sign up. Y'all know my pet peeve. Y'all have been members of the org. Like, don't show up senior year. That ain't gonna be the that ain't gonna be the year to show up. And I'm saying that specifically because y'all high schoolers and college soon to be freshmen, and y'all know because y'all have been with me for way before the time. I have voicemails now for people wanting me to help their senior daughters. I'm only one person, Miss Karnika is another person. It's it's this small team, Mr. Mr. Ricky, that's three, you know, that builds all it is. And we build, we've been the building girls, y'all know, since very, very little. We would build you up. But if you're in high school, you need to start taking advantage of this as soon as possible. Even if you're not sure what it is, take that risk on it as soon as possible. Because we have to, I'm gonna say, as a community as a whole, and I'm sure we're not the only community that does this, but we cannot think that we're gonna need those saviors in senior year. That's just not happening. The world has changed so much. There's people learning stuff way ahead of time. Technology is moving too fast that we have to start. So I'm gonna say that. Make sure you sign up because high schoolers are hard to get. Okay. Y'all are busy, but I love how y'all talked about how you rearrange your schedule. Like, Ryan, you came right off the plane. I don't like it's hard. I get it, it's hard. But start adding this to your life because I tell y'all all the time, especially my athletes, I have a lot of friends with championship rings that have doctors of engineering degrees that are engineers and living very comfortably. And I'm sure at I don't want to say we old, but you know, at my age, their bones is grateful for it. That they have, you know, you only can play sports for so long. You all know that. And so that's just my other piece I'll add. So start fitting STEM programming into your life for my high schoolers. And I appreciate y'all for doing it. So, one more thing before we exit this podcast. We have to talk about Black Girls Do Engineer Day. So, we have been talking about this all week for my podcasters by the time, well, my listeners, by the time you listen to this, it's gonna already been passed and gone. But we have to talk about Black Girls Do Engineer Day because we have celebrated that on today too as part of our camp. So, Black Girls Do Engineer Day is actually a thing. It is a day that was awarded to us about six years ago from Rest Hits, our long and beloved future prior mayor Houston, uh Sylvester Turner, uh gave us our own day many years ago. And we have chosen to celebrate it in many ways in the past. We used to do big old Gala. Now we just say we're gonna celebrate with the youth, and then we'll get back to Gala if that's what we see in the future. And so I want to take time to shout it out because it's a great day, but also talk about a little bit of the impact because you all have been with Black Girls to Engineer, what it means to you, especially because we're about to turn seven. When I say that, I mean I still feel young, but I was like, woo, it's been a journey. It's not the easiest thing to do to be an entrepreneur, but most definitely um to stretch yourself so why to get back to girls in your community. These days it's hard. Like volunteers are hard to come by uh for sure. So we're just rocking this out right now really heavily as that two, three-person team at times. And to do all that we do, that is just insane. We got to check on ourselves because we work hard. But we do it because we don't see ourselves. We just see our futures and we see it in the youth, and we just don't complain about it. We get up every day and make it happen for the youth. So that is our job here to build you all up. But you all have been a part of it. Some of them, some of you since you was in third grade, some of you since you started before high school as such a big chapter of your life. Brian, you've been like two years at this point. So, like, y'all have been a part, dipped in and out. So let's just talk a little bit about on that celebratory note what have black girls do engineering meant, what it means to you, and how has it impacted you? So whoever wants to start first.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

Okay. So black girls do engineering definitely impacted my life because I because I started so young, I started in third grade. So, you know, I was still developing and stuff. I was not always like this outgoing kid that would talk to everybody and is like open to doing new things, you know, like you know, most third graders are. So I definitely think my experience has led me to be a better communicator, a better leader, more open to things and just all around a well-rounded person because now I'm, you know, more open-minded to things. Like if I'm going to something new, I'm not like, well, something new, I'm kind of scared, I'm not gonna do anything. Like, I'm like, okay, we're going to something new. Let's try this, let's do something, let's try to make a good thing out of this, you know. So I feel like Black Women's Engineering definitely helps with those types of things. And it also helped me drive like my way into a career path, chemical engineering. Now, I don't know if that's what I'm going to do, but that's definitely what I am thinking about. So it does help you with your careers as well. And it's not just engineering, like we do anything, like you code coding, doctors, like everything. So definitely an all-around good experience.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

So yeah, yeah, I'm in high school. Whoever we take the mic next.

SPEAKER_01 32:08

I feel like black girls do engineering was like I felt like it was gonna be like a sisterhood and just a bunch of young girls doing engineering. And you know, at my school, engineering isn't very popular, STEM isn't popular at all. So I wasn't there weren't very many black girls doing engineering in my class. I think I was one of three. So, and I also didn't know what I wanted to do because I wanted to do something in the medical field, but I also wanted to be an engineer. Like something in the back of my mind told me I should do engineering, and then Scar told me I could do both. So that's where biomed came from. And then, yeah, so and now you are on your way.

SPEAKER_03 32:54

I'm very proud of you because, like, like all three of them, really, y'all are like top-tier athletes, like they can have a great future, all of them in sports in their sports period. So when you hear them singing their love for STEM, that's big for them. Like that life balance they've had to incorporate with doing their sports and the STEM is wild, but they prioritized them both and made it work, right? So, coming from them, this is a big deal.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

Go ahead, Reagan. Yeah, definitely branching off the athlete part of it. I've done track all my life and kind of letting it go now, but I also wanted to incorporate another piece of my life because at the end of the day, track will not be my end all be all. And black girls do engineering has definitely showed me that I am more than just my athleticism. And I think I've joined the beginning, like the very beginning of my freshman year. And that has definitely taken a very different lead on my life because not only did it show me that people like me belong in the room, but like it also taught me how to communicate with other people who don't think that we belong in the room. So it taught me how to articulate my words better, it taught me how to have patience with people and also just give me the confidence to know that I belong into any space I walk into and that any skill asset I gain from Black girls do engineering, that I can take it into the real world as well. Like today, we just got drone certified. Not many people can say that. Like, not many people can say that, especially people who look like us. So this organization has definitely shaped me into the person I am and still becoming. So definitely impacting me in such a positive way.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

I love that. I love all that because I kind of like things I think about. I'm so futuristic. I'm an innovator. Y'all know this. Like my mind runs wild with the possibilities of what we can do. But one thing I'm learning is that I'm a little too quick. Um, the world is not quite keeping up with my mind and my innovation, which is okay. But when it comes to the support of our org, that's been kind of like one of the things I've noticed lately. Just being transparent. Like, you know, I get highs and lows just as well with leading the org. But what I can say, my biggest highs from my innovation rim has that has helped me ground it. It's every time when I'm thinking about, man, you know, I don't think people understand what we're doing here because it's wild. It is like we did some massive things here. But when the big tech, the future of the world innovators invest into this org, which majority of them, I'm very grateful that they have, let me know that my innovative mind see what we got going on. So that makes me excited about year seven. Like when I first started, I would have never thought that me and Mr. Ricky would have been standing at New York Tech Week introducing our own tech product. Like, whoever thought of that. But and having one of the world's biggest cloud companies in the room cheering us on because they watched us build it to completion in like two weeks' time, right? We had worked on it, built it up, and tried to see where we're gonna land it, right? On our infrastructure, and we just made it happen and it blew their mind. So it lets us know. Yes, not everybody understands what we're doing, but I am grateful for the people, the big companies behind me that's like you are on to what we're on to, investing in us, and for you girls showing up because that's what it takes. Like you all say you walk in the room, y'all know what Ms. Car, I have you doing. But I'm happy to know that y'all walk out like 10 times better. You know, my goal is for y'all to be 10 times better than what I've achieved, right? And y'all are ready for the future. I don't want y'all to ever have the experience in life because y'all can see the world is changing very fast when it comes to technology, where you don't have options, right? And so that was why we talked about too with drone training this week, how you can use drones in your careers, right? Because each each one of you wants to be something different. So you learned that too. But I think for the future, as we are about to go into year seven of Black Girls Do Engineer, it's like, man, like I guess I blow my own mind continuously every day. But it's good to know that my skill level, Mr. Ricky's skill level, and Miss Kranika's skill level is insanely that great. That we're able to all come together and just make this organization be at the top. And we're thankful for our partners. We have so many great corporations that back us. We can do it without you. We have partners from every walk of life. Like you said, Kinsley, we have medical things we do in here, we have medical partners, we have energy things we do because Houston is energy capital, right? Energy partners. We have tech things we do, tech partners. So we're so lucky for everyone who's taken a chance on us these last six years and invested in our tech product. And we're looking forward to see the impact we've made. And you know what's so funny? We've impacted like over 7,000 girls instead, you know, at this end of this term. And it's just gonna get more and more with because of our tech product. We're gonna hit massive numbers. So we're looking forward to rolling it out next month in New York. They're getting out of Houston, especially since it's in the Houston. We're rolling it out in New York because New York is like one of the top tech cities. Makes sense for what we're doing right now. So I'm grateful that you all have supported me. Kinsley, you've been with me since day one, and continuously to show up and letting us know that we're doing our part and we are impacting our lives. I tell y'all, that's my joy. When I see you win, I feel like I've won, right? And watching y'all be great leaders. So I'm looking forward to year seven and all that it's about to be. It kicks off very shortly in like a day. So we'll do year seven, and I'll be rooting for y'all. I thank y'all for having this conversation with me today. And hopefully, our hope is that many, many more high school girls come do something like this, right? Y'all are happy y'all did, right? Because it's summertime, right? It's a lot we all could have been doing, right? Just chilling, but y'all showed up continuously every day. So thank you girls for that. So this episode is most definitely for our parents, educators, corporate partners, and any youth that want to be a part of the next wave of technology. Drone technology is again one of the top 10 jobs going forward. So if you don't know what a drone is, that is okay. A lot of people don't. If you are curious about learning more about drones or any technology, this conversation is for you. And we invite you to attend any Black Girls to Engineer event near you because there's so many of them, right? And we also invite you to learn more about those events on our website at blackgirls to engineer.org, or you can email us directly at info at black girls to engineer.org.