The Inaugural Techbridge Girls STEM Summit for the Bay Area took place on May 2nd, 2026!
At the first-ever Techbridge Girls STEM Summit in Oakland, girls explored STEM through identity, belonging, and community-centered problem solving. Speaking both Spanish and English, they shared projects during an Innovation Exchange, collaborated with peers and mentors in AI, engineering, and data science, and tackled earthquake-response challenges using the engineering design process and artificial intelligence. Lunch provided a space for relationship-building and mentorship as girls gathered alongside role models and near peers representing engineering, AI, data science, and technology fields. Gallery Walks celebrated every solution and every voice. By day’s end — after mentorship, teamwork, and even the Cha-Cha Slide — girls left with stronger confidence, new friendships, and the knowledge that they can use technology to strengthen their communities. This is what it feels like to belong.
I thought it would be harder, but once we started building and testing, it actually made sense."
Some early results from our 3rd party evaluation:
- Engagement & Confidence:
93% said the event was fun and they would recommend it to a friend, and 80% felt proud sharing or presenting their projects. Furthermore, two-thirds reported feeling more confident in their STEM knowledge and skills in just a few hours with TBG. - Belonging & STEM Future Pathways:
Three-quarters of the girls felt valued by adults and felt like they belonged as well as learned about STEM careers for future exploration.
Thanks to our Sponsors:
So what is next for TBG?
Techbridge Girls is uniquely positioned to advance equitable STEM education by centering youth from communities on the edges—those historically excluded from opportunities in science, technology, and health fields—as early adopters of the technologies shaping their futures, and all of ours.