Over the course of the year, even as she graduated and began working full time at Microsoft, Aaiman uncovered dozens of stories of women working in this field, interviewed them and wrote 40 of their stories into what is now a book aimed at girls 11 and under, called “Our Stories in STEM” (www.ourstoriesin.com) set for release in August 2020.
“The women featured in this book are not women you’ve heard of before,” says Aaiman. With the help of a wide variety of community groups, eager to advocate for and elevate women in their communities, Aaiman talked with a diverse group of women, including women of colour, women under the LGBTQIA umbrella, women with disabilities, and women from Indigenous communities. “These communities also helped me determine the right way to approach these women and to have the conversations.” The buy-in from these communities and the initial strong support from GreenHouse have been vital catalysts to Aaiman.
There were challenges along the way, most particularly when she depleted her own savings for the project. She shelved the project for several months but returned to it and started a Kickstarter campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ourstoriesin/our-stories-in-stem/) so that others who share her belief in this project can contribute to completing the final details. She knew if she was going to pursue this project, she was going to do it right: with a quality product.
Aaiman was reminded of her why when she recently made a video where three girls had a chance to look at the first prototype of her book. “It reminded me that this book was actually something that would go in the hands of young girls and hopefully make an impact.”
