Amandla Stenberg is taking an awesome stand for girls in STEM

Amandla Stenberg stole our hearts as Rue in The Hunger Games, and now, she’s broadening our minds as a voice of reason and respect in pop culture. She’s already made a huge impact by educating social media on cultural appropriation. Her next mission? Getting more young women involved the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, a field that is traditionally dominated by men. So much so, that young girls just don’t feel like there’s a place for them in the scientific community. What gives? Amandla told the Huffington Post her theory:

These comments come after Amandla was invited to be the celebrity co-host at ComEd’s second annual Icebox Derby Race Day. This event, held in Chicago by the electric utility company, featured six teams of teenage girls who built and raced cars made out of recycled refrigerators.

Events like this do exactly what Amandla has been encouraging. They open up STEM opportunities to women, showing that not only are teen girls welcome, but that it’s also really cool. This kind of exposure is good for Amandla, who hopes to use her celebrity status as a means of encouraging young girls:

And if you’re a young girl who genuinely isn’t interested in science, that’s OK too! Amandla’s main message is that girls should be able to pursue whatever career they want, without judgment or unfair treatment.

(Image via Instagram)