An 18-year-old teen is fulfilling a promise she made to herself over a decade ago.

“My dad is an engineer, and when I was younger I remember him taking me to his job sites,” South Texas ISD Health Professions senior Valeria Delgado recalled. “There were simply no women at all.” 

As she grew up, Delgado wanted to join the medical profession — and noticed another pattern.

“In all the years that I have been attending or going to my pediatric clinic, I had never been treated by a female doctor,” Delgado said.

That difference sparked a desire within her. Delgado said she wanted to do something to empower young women across the Rio Grande Valley who are interested in a career in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics — also known as STEM.

To do that, Delgado founded a non-profit organization called She-STEM, which now hosts panel discussions, community service opportunities and mentorship opportunities for girls in middle school and high school.

“We would give them advice about how to boost their GPA, what classes to take in high school, what to do for an excellent resume,” Delgado said.

The organization started in 2023 with just 30 girls attending the discussions. Today, She-STEM now has over 200 members.

STISD Health Professions Principal Dr. Michele Guajardo said she is proud of that growth.

“She did open an opportunity for us to take our students to UTRGV where we met with some of the medical leaders of that community, so it really did help expose our students to those opportunities,” Guajardo said. “That's why we're so grateful for her efforts."

Delgado is planning to continue spearheading She-STEM when she attends UTRGV to study to become a pediatrician.

“I hope to one day see that every school in the Valley has a chapter of She-STEM,” Delgado said. “I hope that all girls have the potential to become women in STEM. It's just that most of us don't have the opportunity to see the STEM field for ourselves."