“I learned how to walk into a room no one wants you in, even when you did nothing wrong besides show up.”

Anna Poirier has followed her passion for robotics with great determination. As early as middle school, Anna started and served as captain of an all-girls robotics team that won the world championship in 2016 for their engineering process, as well as numerous awards for design. This experience required Anna to persevere not only through technical challenges but through the significant stigma girls and women face in STEM. Though treated unfairly, Anna persisted, reflecting, “I learned how to walk into a room no one wants you in, even when you did nothing wrong besides show up.” Anna’s experience of this stigma led her to become passionate about supporting women in STEM fields as well as robotics.

Anna is now pursuing her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in energy at the University of Michigan. She is recognized by her professors and mentors for her leadership among her peers, her incisive engagement with issues of gender and equity, and her commitment to her goals. In the future, Anna plans to work in robotics design, eventually running a lab, and to mentor young girls to get them excited about STEM.

CEW+ applauds Anna’s determination and commitment to becoming a woman in STEM and names her an Irma M. Wyman Scholar.