Anya Ellis took an interest in STEM at an early age.
"I remember saving money from a lemonade stand to buy my first microscope and examine insects on slides," she said.
Today, Anya is freshman at Georgia Tech and working toward a degree in biomedical engineering.
She is part of a group of young women who have received scholarships from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) through the efforts of 3M corporate scientist, Jayshree Seth.
Aside from her 80 patents, and work in product development, Jayshree has also written three books full of guidance for aspiring scientists, engineers and leaders in STEM. In 2020, Jayshree teamed up with SWE, the world's largest advocate for encouraging women to pursue engineering, to use all the proceeds from her book sales to fund the Jayshree Seth Scholarship for Women of Color in STEM. To date, the scholarship has awarded nearly $30,000 to five recipients.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity this scholarship provides, not only as a financial support but as an affirmation of my place in STEM," said Anya.
Among other things, Jayshree has credited a strong support system - from family and friends to peers, colleagues and bosses - as a major factor in her career achievements and believes in the power of paying it forward.
"I believe through mentorship, we can further advocate and encourage more women, girls and underrepresented minorities to enter careers in manufacturing, engineering and the sciences," says Jayshree. "I truly believe greater diversity in these fields will lead to greater impact. A diverse workforce is a robust workforce."
The 2023 scholarship recipient, Janae Gillus of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where she studies computer engineering, comes from a family of engineers. Janae had accompanied her mother to National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) meetings when she was in kindergarten and learned how to code in the fourth grade.
Janae notes that after observing a lot of male-dominated activities in high school, she values the more diverse STEM community she's found at the college level. "It can be hard being the only female or black student but knowing there are others who are experiencing something similar is comforting," she said.
Olanrewaju Famakinwa, the scholarship's 2022 recipient, put her award to use studying chemical and biomolecular engineering at Johns Hopkins University, where she plans to graduate in 2026.
"The summers before school, my grandmother came from Nigeria and taught me math," Olanrewaju said. "I was certain I would be a mathematician when I grew up. However, in 10th grade, I took my first chemistry class and loved it. I wasn't sure whether to study one or another or to do both. Then, my mom had a brilliant idea-chemical engineering!"
Like Anya, Olanrewaju said her gratitude for the scholarship has her looking for ways to pay it forward. "Both professionally and personally, I want my impact on the world to improve the lives of other people."
Jayshree was appointed 3M's first ever Chief Science Advocate in 2018. In that role, she uses her scientific knowledge, technical expertise and professional experience to advance and communicate the benefits of science and the importance of diversity in STEM fields to drive innovation. Jayshree is the fourth woman and first female engineer to be inducted into 3M's science and innovation "hall of fame," the Carlton Society.
"If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write," Jayshree said in a recent social media post. By using her own pen to offer mentorship to STEM aspirants and using all the proceeds from her books to help others on their way, she has found a way to apply her own advice twice over.
All proceeds from The Heart of Science trilogy go to the same scholarship administered by SWE. Jayshree believes "The gift of education - it is the best gift you can ever give!"
