Math 4 Girls was started by Nidhi Ram as a club in her elementary school, Pine Road, during her first year of high school. Wanting to give back to her community and create an opportunity that she would have loved, Nidhi reached out to her 5th grade math teacher and lifelong mentor, Mrs. Winters. Together, along with help from their school librarian, Mrs. Zschunke, they got approval for the club to start, and Nidhi ran Math 4 Girls for a trial period in 2021. She hoped to have at least 10 students her first year, but to her surprise, she received 30 sign-ups on the first day. After a successful trial period, Math 4 Girls was approved to be a full time club. From creating lessons to interacting with the girls, Math 4 Girls quickly became Nidhi's favorite part of each week. After seeing the difference that the club was making in her students' lives, Nidhi wanted to expand Math 4 Girls in order to reach more girls. She transformed her club into an organization of after-school math programs led by high school girls, like herself.

Today, over 100 students later, Math 4 Girls is being implemented into 8 districts around the nation. The organization has become a community led by brilliant high school women who are working to empower the next generation of mathematicians. We know that women belong in math, so the work does not stop here. In 2014, women earned only 26.7% of all mathematics doctorates, but by 2021, that number had fallen to 25.8%. There is still a lot of work to be done, and we hope that Math 4 Girls can be the first step in bridging the gender gap in higher-level STEM education. The relationship between the young girls in Math 4 Girls and the high school women leading the clubs is one like no other. Our Branch Leaders act as role models for the students, inspiring them to build confidence in their innate abilities and continue pursuing math. This relationship, more than anything else, will make a difference in the girls' lives. Let's bridge the gender gap in math, one Math 4 Girls student at a time.