They diligently developed a portable, lightweight tent equipped with LED and antibacterial UVC lights for disinfection. The tent is crafted from durable, water-resistant materials.
Furthermore, they secured a patent and ensured it would reach those in need. The girls aimed to assist as many individuals as possible, beginning with the homeless in San Fernando and extending to refugees without homes.
Evelyn Gomez, a former executive, program director, and current board member at DIYGirls, was keen to support the project from its inception.
A San Fernando alumna, she pursued engineering at MIT and UCLA.
Her personal journey underscores the significance of encouraging girls and Hispanic students in this domain.
“I know in my own education, through undergraduate and graduate school, I was often the only Hispanic person in the room. I think it really places a big burden on your shoulders: I’m not just representing myself, I’m representing my people, I’m representing my community, and if I say something that maybe … doesn’t make sense, then that’s going to reflect poorly on them.
That’s the beauty of having an all-girl team and having the beauty of working within our own community: We have no one else to turn to for answers. We need to come up with the answers ourselves. It’s very empowering.”
At the outset of the project, the girls were strangers to each other, but as the project progressed, they forged strong friendships.
Initially, they relied heavily on Gomez, but gradually they grew to be confident and independent, capable of working autonomously. Whenever they faced an issue, they turned to Google and YouTube for solutions.
The team dedicated six days a week to the project, without taking breaks during winter or spring holidays. Their invention underwent rigorous stress and quality control testing, and despite the failure of their first prototype, they persevered and started over.
Ultimately, they secured a $10,000 grant from MIT, enabling them to present their invention at EurekaFest, an annual event that showcases the innovations of young inventors.
The all-female team aspires for their invention to be mass-produced, making it accessible to as many homeless individuals as possible.
Gomez stated:
“These girls saw a problem in their community. If we have more young women and more people of color and more people from low-income communities that are able to identify a problem within our communities, then we’re going to be better equipped to solve those problems because we’ve lived through them.
I love to tell the girls that engineering is not only about math and it’s not only about science and numbers. … It’s about identifying a problem and helping people.”
Who rules the world? Girls!
