TOWAMENCIN – As we all know, there aren’t many girls out there who are involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and there’s currently a high demand to recruit more girls. In fields that are dominated by men, girls who have a passion for science, like North Penn High School senior Madison Eppers, can inspire young girls today to spread gender equality.

Handling one job while balancing a social and school life can be hard for most students. But for Eppers, who currently has three jobs, this is nowhere near a problem.

“I work at Merrymead Farm. . . I scoop ice cream for them and I manage their birthday parties, so at this point I’m working 15-20 hours a weekend. I work at Philadelphia Scientific where I’m basically a paid intern there, and the things that the engineers pass down to us, we just have to do. We take on projects that we see through entirely—it’s pretty fun. Also I babysit; that’s job number three,” explained Eppers.

Being involved in the Robotics Club, Eppers was lucky to find a job where she was able to get paid for doing what she loves.

“Some of the mentors have these engineering companies and sometimes they take interns from the team, so a couple of us worked there over the summer,” said Eppers.

Motivated to take on responsibility and to learn some work ethic, Eppers made it a goal to buy her own car. With her three jobs, Eppers was able to save enough money within around 5 months, and now you can see her driving her bright yellow car in the school parking lot.

Despite the number of hours Eppers spends working, she somehow finds a balance. At the end of the day, Eppers looks forward to her last two classes, which relieve her from the stress that we all carry from school.

“I’m in the biotechnology class at the tech school, just like a dual enrollment class, which is really fun. You can work in a real lab, and we get to take these cool trips to Fox Chase Cancer Center. We have a lot of fun in that class,” said Eppers.

As the president of Robotics Club, she manages outreach and started helping the business team. She makes sure that they look good on social media and have all the fundraising they need. She also leads kids in organizing the shop and leads small assembly and machining projects.

“Right now we’re making a hardware cart and I get to be in charge of that. But it’s kind of on a case by case basis because we have two presidents, so it’s whoever’s needed at that moment,” explained Eppers.

In addition to the Robotics Club, Eppers is also involved in Chamber Singers and Women’s Choir.

“I’m the historian this year. The roles are kind of loose. We do have a president, but then everyone else just kind of fills in the gaps where need be. So although I do take pictures, I also help manage things like handing out music and making sure the room is clean. I’m a section leader, also, for the altos,” Eppers shared.

With her strong passions for science and choir, Eppers has a solid plan for college. She is currently preparing her applications for Long Island University and the University of North Carolina. At the moment, she doesn’t have a specific career that she wants to pursue, but she has a certain direction.

While most students are struggling to become independent as they begin to head off to college, Eppers seems to have a head start.

“A couple years ago my nana moved in with us and she had Alzheimer’s, so my parents were kind of taking care of her. I had to learn how to manage myself, ask for rides, figure out a way to get to and from places without my family. Like when I had a job, I would use my money to get Wawa or make sure I was fed if my parents were busy with [my nana], and since then, my parents have come to rely on the fact that I could be independent. I drive my brother to and from Boy Scouts sometimes, or I take on a role as like the third parent in the house, just so my parents could deal with their work and manage themselves, because I’m at the point where I could manage myself,” Eppers explained.

As a girl in STEM, Eppers has found it empowering and strives to motivate young girls to be a part of it. On her first day of Robotics Club, Eppers was convinced that there would be more girls in the club but soon discovered otherwise.

“I showed up and I was one in three. There were two other girls in it and since then, because I’ve worked really hard to get more girls to join, I’m in a position of leadership. This year we have six or seven girls which make up a very strong part of our team, and it’s super nice to know that the community of girls is growing,” Eppers explained.

Eppers’s goal is to build a stronger team of girls in STEM and help motivate younger girls to pursue their dreams, even if they want to enter a male-dominated field.

“Don’t be intimidated by the fact that there aren’t a lot of girls. Just be the one that decides to go do it, because you could learn a lot from the people around you, and you’re going to regret not doing something you really like when you feel like you’re in an area with more girls. If you really like STEM, go fight for where you want to be,” Eppers said.