Twenty-seven inspiring women leaders in STEM from around the world come together to tell their original, passionate stories describing their perseverance, spirit, brilliance, and personal growth through words and photographs. Sadly, books about women in science for young girls are history books. Determined to be Extraordinary will motivate young girls to pursue STEM careers by presenting contemporary, real-life examples of successful women in STEM. The role models they are looking for are right here, right now!
Representation matters. Cultural stereotypes can discourage girls from considering STEM fields as viable career paths. Seeing successful women in STEM fields can inspire and motivate young girls to pursue STEM careers. When they see someone who looks like them achieving greatness, it reinforces the belief that they can do it, too. ‘Determined to be Extraordinary’ isn’t just a book – it’s an invitation. An invitation to be inspired, to dream bigger, and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the phenomenal women shaping our future.
This manuscript is an inspirational collection of personal stories from modern women in STEM fields for girls 12-16 years old and young women.
Target consumers include:
Mothers and other female relatives of 12-16-year-old girls looking for motivational stories about successful women in STEM
Key Insights:
I don’t think the writing was the hard part, although each woman’s proficiency in writing was different. We’re scientists, so for the most part, writing about oneself doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Sometimes, a woman’s story included events that were still painful and not ready to be put on paper, so we focused on the areas that had already been conquered and spoke about the lessons learned.
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Learn About the Publishing Industry: Educate yourself on the different paths to publishing, whether it’s traditional publishing, self-publishing, or hybrid models. Understanding the pros and cons of each can help you make informed decisions about your writing career.
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Some quotes from Middle School readers:
Readers will learn how to:
The book cover art is a painting by Eduardo Urbano Merino (www.eduardourbanomerino.com) of one of the collaborators, Sandra Lopez Leon. She sent me a picture of it to include in her story, and I fell in love with it.
First and foremost, this book would not have been possible without the amazing women who shared my vision for this book, graciously contributed their stories, and entrusted me with them. Your passion, tolerance, and praise were genuinely humbling.
To my children, Gala and Hans Peter, the inspirations for this book, thank you for sacrificing our family time and inspiring me to make the world a better place for you. Gala, thank you for always believing that I can do anything I set my mind to.
Thanks to my husband, Todd, for providing me with a supportive environment that enabled me to complete this work, tolerate my long hours, and allow me to live like a hermit on the weekends for those long years. By the way, we can officially tell the neighbors that I am not in the witness protection program. Without you and my mom, Rose, we would have gone without dinner many nights.
I want to thank Cindy Simpson, the Association for Women in Science, Jennifer Scott, and the Society of Women Engineers for giving me a platform to find contributors. Even though we were strangers, you believed in me and my dream. Your early support fed my enthusiasm and helped make this book possible.
A very special thanks to Kathy Bowen, Auburn Cole, Dean Eklof, and their students for allowing me to test drive my stories. I cannot thank you enough for the feedback I received; I am indebted to you. Anne Camille Talley, it was your idea in the first place. I am very grateful for your advice and encouragement.
Thank you to Daria Mark, Brian, and Daniela Bigda for your technology skills, advice, and encouragement.
To my work family, LeeAnn Ali, Jayne Macedo, Craig Wisman, and Amanda Resendes, for being my cheerleaders over the years, no matter what crazy ideas came into my head. Don’t worry, I have more!
My gratitude to Ashleigh Kyle for her expert legal reviews and practical viewpoints. You are an inspiration.
Aside from the 2nd addition, I do have some other ideas, but I have not solidified the concepts yet. Stay tuned!
Copyright Dawn Heimer @ 2024