Ella Brandon of Ooltewah had a difficult time finding information about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career options for women while planning her future, which inspired her to create a STEM career resource blog. The blog features interviews with women in various fields, providing a resource for young women exploring career paths. The posts share clear descriptions of what STEM jobs involve and how to get started. The website has been shared with schools across Hamilton County and through the Chattanooga Public Library. Ella earned a prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award in 2025 for her STEM Career Resource: Interviewing for a Change project.

Gold Award Girl Scouts are rock stars, role models and real-life heroes who address issues they’re passionate about by using everything they’ve learned as a Girl Scout to solve an issue. They plan and implement projects that produce lasting change in the community and beyond. It is the Girl Scouts’ highest honor.

“I noticed a problem that my peers and I had as we started our journey to choosing a major and applying to college,” Ella shares. “It can be overwhelming to research different STEM fields, and nearly impossible to find specific information about what careers are like day-to-day.”

Ella set to work, investing nearly 100 hours in conducting and publishing interviews. “My favorite part was hearing the stories and insights of the people I interviewed,” Ella recalls. “They all had amazing advice, and hearing the things they’d accomplished during their careers was so inspiring.”

During the process, she was advised to cast a wider net to make connections with women in STEM careers. She reached out to teachers, college counselors, family friends and organizations, including The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Million Women Mentors and Hamilton County Schools.

She was able to take away some new experiences while gaining skills such as communication – especially during an interview. “This project also has given me a memorable experience of a project I’ve followed through start to finish, learning how to motivate myself and seek help when I need it throughout the long process,” she says.

Ella’s work to connect young women with information about STEM careers and the actual women who do the work is timely, relevant and important. Women currently make up about one-third of the STEM workforce. According to digitalcxo.com, “A lack of female role models and mentors is seen as a significant barrier” for women when considering STEM fields.

Ella describes herself as adventurous, so it’s no surprise that one of her favorite Girl Scout memories is when her troop built a bamboo-and-inner tube raft and completed The Great Hiwassee River Raft Race. “It took grit and perseverance to raft the whole 10 miles, but it was such a fun bonding experience!”

In her free time, Ella enjoys running track and cross country, drawing and backpacking with her mom. She enjoys spending quality time with her family, including her younger sister and brother, her friends and her Maltipoo, Maizie.

She’s currently a senior at Girls Preparatory School, planning to attend Auburn University in the fall of 2025 to pursue biomedical engineering – a field that she chose after learning more about it during this project.

Congratulations, Ella! Visit girlscoutcsa.org to learn more.