Black Panther' Star Letitia Wright Inspiring Girls In STEM

Letitia Wright wants more girls in STEM — where women only occupy 23% of the workforce.

“You have to see something in order for you to understand that you can do it,” she explained.

Wright played the tech-genius younger sister in “Black Panther,” and says her role inspired her to learn more about the industry, which struggles with diversity and representation.

So she sat down with the co-founder of UK org Stemettes for a short film called “Engineering Real-Life Heroes” to break down misleading ideas around women in the industry and show what it takes to be involved in the STEM movement.

She also met with four students who will be future innovators in their field and are competing in the Shell Eco-Marathon. The marathon entails designing, building, and driving energy-efficient cars.

“My confidence has changed massively since I’ve been studying engineering, it’s increased so much,” stated one of the students, Hannah.

It’s incredible to think back. My grandmother, she was a mechanical engineer,” stated another named Olga. “She was always a role model for me because she’s a strong woman that had a lot of challenges in her life.”

The women say they hope their stories encourage a new generation of scientists.