ARLINGTON – Two students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology visited Arlington High School recently to show 50 high school students what jobs are available in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields. MIT students Ally Huang, a fourth-year graduate student, and Alana Sanchez, a freshman, broke down stereotypes about women in STEM and the global impact that women are having in the field.

“We really want to break down the myth that females aren’t good at math or science,” Huang said. “Only one in seven engineers are women. We’re visiting schools to get females interested so more women can join the workforce in STEM fields.”

The AHS students learned about STEM jobs, clubs and classes that are available, and also participated in hands-on projects, such as deciphering coded words using DNA and making a spectroscope – a device used to observe light.

AHS junior Cristina Hutchens, who would like to explore a job in astronomy, chemistry or medicine, said she enjoyed finding out about all of the different jobs available.

The MIT students visited eight schools in the state as part of the MIT Women’s Initiative, a program that inspires high school girls to join STEM fields.