When Milica Mijalkovic grows up, she wants to work in the field of economics. She wants to be an investment analyst, she specifies, because she really loves data analytics.

Mijalkovic is a Grade 11 student at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute. Two years ago, she was one of five girls out of 30 students in her introduction to computer science class.

“It was a bit discouraging actually that I only saw a few girls in class,” she said. “But I think its really important to invest myself in technology.”

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Things were a little different on Sunday. Mijalkovic was in a group of 60 girls who met with three female science pioneers on the second International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Held at Facebook headquarters in Toronto, the event served as the launch of the federal government’s second phase of its plan to encourage increased female participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The next phase is called “Choose Science” — a digital campaign sharing why women chose to work in the sciences. The aim is to create a network of mentors to inspire future female STEM leaders.

“We need to include all people to make sure we have the right answers for our future, and if you only have men making those decisions that’s not good,” said Kate Young, parliamentary secretary for science. “(Young girls) do need to hear these stories to know there’s a place for (them).”

In 1987, only 20 per cent of the people working in STEM fields were female, a number that has moved up to just 22 per cent today. Just 29.6 per cent of individuals with a post-secondary STEM credential and 26.9 per cent of those employed in a STEM-intensive occupation in Canada are women.

Julia Wagner, a Grade 12 student, is the only female programmer on her school’s robotics team, and was the only girl in her computer technology class. She chose science because her father, an engineer, inspired her.

“I think a lot of girls, especially when they’re younger, get scared seeing so many men in technology and engineering,” she said. “It kind of intimidates them and they don’t want to take part in engineering.

“But I want more girls to take these classes, because it’s such a great experience.”

The panellists echoed Wagner’s sentiments in their discussion. To great applause, Joelle Pineau, the director of Facebook artificial-intelligence research in Montreal, said that she had four children and two jobs.

“Everyone has to make choices,” said Pineau. Her decision to join the Facebook team after 12 years as a university professor was a risk she wasn’t sure would work. “But we have to encourage girls to take risks much more. We have to embrace girls taking risks.”

Media personality Amber MacArthur grew up wanting to be a princess and marry a rich man. But her mom, who taught computers in the late 1980s and 1990s, knew how to fix everything in tech. “(These women) are out there. You just have to dig deeper to find them.”

“This isn’t about women’s skill level or women’s aptitude,” said Jennifer Flanagan, CEO of Actua, a national charity that is preparing youth to be leaders in STEM. “Women have always been amazing at science and technology. The culture and the environment haven’t been welcoming.”

Women and girls shouldn’t need to change to fit into STEM, said Flanagan. Corporate culture needs to be made free of harassment, for one, she says, and there needs to be pay equity.

Young girls like Mijalkovic were nodding along to these messages. One told the panellists she was trying to create a conference for young girls to inspire them to get into the sciences. She wanted advice; she received applause.

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Mijalkovic, too, raised her hand and asked the panellists a question about data: How can scientists make sure data is not stereotyped against women?

“If you search computer scientists, not a lot of women come up,” Pineau said. “It’s just the data is that way, and who’s creating that data?”

The question didn’t need to be answered in that room full of girls.