CAITLIN WESTERFIELD WISTEM FUND
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Mission Statement
Because the world needs more women working in STEM fields, we help to create the conditions that enable girls and women to discover, pursue, persist, and thrive in STEM, such as curiosity, confidence, community, and celebrations.
About This Cause
This fund was started to honor the life and legacy of Caitlin Westerfield, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2023. In high school, Caitlin observed her fellow female classmates choosing not to pursue coursework in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), even though they had a sincere interest in STEM. To stem that tide, Caitlin and her friend Lucy Sattler founded a club called Women in STEM, or WiSTEM. Over two years, the club grew to nearly 100 members, meeting each week for career talks and mutual support. In college at Yale University, Caitlin continued to pursue her interest in STEM, double-majoring in Computer Science and Religious Studies. She also continued to support other women studying in STEM fields -- by holding leadership positions in the Yale Women in Computer Science Society and the Undergraduate Society of Women Engineers. Many of her friends at Yale say they would not have made it through their toughest STEM classes without Caitlin's personal support and encouragement. After college, Caitlin began working as a software engineer at the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative on the Education Initiative's Learning Platform Team. Her ambition was to use technology to address equity gaps within the education system. She immediately joined the company's committee focused on recruiting and retaining female and minorities engineers - work she pushed until her untimely death. This fund continues Caitlin's efforts to encourage girls and women interested in STEM to thrive and reach their highest potential. More about Caitlin’s life and many interests can be found on her website: https://caitlinwesterfield.com.