‘Fly Like A Girl’ Drone Olympics exposes students to careers in STEM, breaks down barriers

SALISBURY, Md. – Third and fourth grade female students from Showell Elementary School became drone pilots for the day at the first-ever Fly Like A Girl Drone Olympics by Worcester County Public Schools.

Instructor Valerie Zienty had a vision of creating an after-school drone academy, and it became a reality thanks to grant funding from the Maryland Department of Education.

The competitive, yet fun-packed day included several obstacle courses that students flew their hand-made drones through.

The goal was to start the exposure to STEM related fields at an early age while letting girls know their possibilities are endless. “Especially for the girls were they’re kind of restricted with certain things. We’re always trying to break through that glass ceiling and get them to learn and do more. The world is theirs and they can do whatever they want,” Parent Yow Ha said.

“I really like that Zienty just made an event to let all the girls who were in the academy be able to show off their skills,” Showell Elementary Student Lillian Ha said.

“It feels good. It’s cool that we get to experience different challenges and things like that,” Showell Elementary Student Alisha Sethi said.

Organizers say they plan get more schools in Worcester County schools involved in the drone academy to grow the event and make it bigger for next year.