Written By: Marguerite Copeland*

*Marguerite Copeland is the Program Manager of Generation Giga Girls (G3)

Each year, International Day of the Girl serves as both a celebration and call to action. It’s a reminder that investing in girls’ education, leadership, and innovation is not just an issue of equity, but of shaping a sustainable global future. For me and the work that I do at Girls Inc. of New York City, as the G3 Data Analytics Program Manager, this day highlights why our work in STEM education is so critical. It is about equipping girls not only with skills, but also with the confidence, leadership, and platforms to reimagine what is possible.

What is G3?

Generation Giga Girls, or “G3”, is a social justice based data analytics program with a curriculum rooted in inquiry, justice and discovery. Through this program, participants learn how to use data as a tool for storytelling, advocacy, and innovation, creating a strong platform for student voice and the use of real-world tools such as google sheets, canva etc. to present their data. 

Expanding the vision: 

In addition to Girls Inc. of NYC staff directly facilitating G3, we now have an Educator Training Institute where educators are trained to deliver the Data Analytics curriculum in schools across New York City. By equipping teachers with tools, lesson plans, and facilitation strategies, we ensure that students can receive academic credit for their work. This model makes data analytics a core part of school culture for the many girls who get to experience its content. This approach raises a larger question. How might education transform if every classroom treated STEM not only as a subject to master, but as a platform for leadership?

We know the leaders of tomorrow will need fluency in technology. That is why this October, with the help of a dedicated GINYC volunteer, we are launching the G3 Coding Bootcamp, introducing girls to Python programming and the foundations of computational thinking! From loops and lists to designing their own functions, students will gain the tools to create and broaden their understanding of coding. But we won’t stop at basics, participants will also explore designing agentic AI systems, opening conversations about ethics, creativity, and the role of young women in shaping artificial intelligence. We will get to witness what it means for AI to be built with girls’ voices, ideas, and leadership at the center.

To ensure access & equity, we launched a Virtual STEM Series, opening doors for high school girls across NYC to explore data analytics. These sessions, which offer extra credit and community service, give flexible entry points into STEM while widening student networks. By going virtual, we remove barriers of geography and cost, because access should not depend on zip code. Yet even as we expand reach, we continue to wonder: How else can we break down barriers so that every girl, everywhere, has the chance to lead in STEM?

Connecting with Professionals and the Real World:

Beyond classrooms and screens, we create spaces for girls to connect directly with professionals in STEM industries through conferences and leadership gatherings. These spaces are where confidence is built, networks are formed, and dreams are stretched. These moments of networking and mentorship help girls see themselves in the field, envision career pathways, and practice the soft skills of communication, advocacy, and collaboration. Each conference is more than an event, it is an ecosystem of belonging, a launchpad of the next generation of women leaders in STEM. Moments like these make us wonder what new possibilities emerge when girls see themselves not just in the classroom, but in the boardroom, the lab, and the global stage?

This year, our G3 Data Analytics students journeyed to the United Nations for the Youth Mental Well-being Conference.  For many, it was their first time engaging in global dialogue with youth leaders, educators, and policymakers. Their participation was more than symbolic, it was a declaration that girls belong at decision-making tables, shaping solutions that ripple out to their schools, neighborhoods, and beyond. It was beyond incredible to see them amplifying their voices on the world stage. The UN convening affirmed what we already believe: when girls are given the tools and the trust, they are not just students of STEM, they are leaders of change. 

When we bring all these elements together, the UN convenings, the social justice data projects, the educator training, the coding bootcamps, the AI applications, the virtual series, and the professional conferences, we see a movement taking shape. We see girls who are not only gaining STEM knowledge, but who are stepping into their power as leaders, innovators, and global citizens.

On this International day of the Girl, we honor that vision. We celebrate the young women who are coding their futures, analyzing data to drive justice, speaking on global platforms, and building networks that span across disciplines and borders. Their work is proof that when girls lead in STEM, the world changes, not just for them, but for all of us.