Emma Watson is stepping up for girls in STEM

The fact that Emma Watson is a big proponent of female empowerment is, in itself, not new information. From breaking into the big time by playing one of our favorite strong female characters in literature to speaking out about the importance of quality education and women in leadership roles, to being appointed a UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador and the face for its HeForShe initiative, Watson has been on point in terms of being an amazing role model for girls and women all over the world. We could truly go on about our love for her talent, eloquence, passion, and more for days.

And now, she is taking her support for gender equality in the workplace even further by backing a scholarship program for women in STEM at the Canadian University of Waterloo.

The University of Waterloo HeForShe IMPACT Scholarship will award $12,000 to six first-year female STEM (that’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students over the next four years. The university is one of 10 in the world involved in HeForShe’s IMPACT 10x10x10 Framework, and hopes by 2020 the program will have helped boost female enrollment in STEM outreach programs to 33 percent.

“With these scholarships, we have the chance to establish greater gender balance in STEM fields, ensuring that women offer relevant skills to future employers and have a solid path to both academic leadership positions and creative scientific careers,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women.

Watson, who helped launch the HeForShe initiative a year ago this month, said of the scholarship, “I’m so inspired by the University of Waterloo’s efforts to achieve gender equality in our lifetimes. Their commitment to women in STEM is unparalleled. This scholarship programme is a perfect example of how the HeForShe movement is generating tangible change around the world.”

With this program, Watson joins an admirable group of female celebrities striving to make a difference for women in STEM. Science- and math-minded famous ladies like Mayim Bialik, Danica McKellar, and more speak out constantly about how we women shouldn’t being afraid to use our brains and demand equal professional respect. Earlier this year, model and TSwift bestie Karlie Kloss even launched the #KodeWithKarlie Scholarship to help bring attention to the importance of women in computer science.

All the applause for Emma Watson for being part of this amazing group of women, and using her global notoriety and powerful voice to help make such impactful changes for females in STEM. We can’t wait to see what she does next, and are so grateful she is here to help pass on such an important message on to a generation of girls.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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