Articles Madalyn Nguyen

Madalyn Nguyen, a senior at Poway High School (PHS) Engineering Academy, is an aspiring engineer/computer scientist that is driven by the impact equity in STEM education can have from the standpoint of race/ethnicity and gender. As a change-maker and trailblazer for STEM diversity, she found her passion at 10 years old and has been on a journey since then to make a difference. She founded and led the Society of Women Engineers and National Center for Women and Information Technology clubs at her school in 2018 to create a community that encourages and supports girls, especially minorities, to pursue STEM careers. In 2019, she traveled to Paraguay to advance STEM/Robotics education and women in engineering by organizing a robotics competition and meeting with the Chancellor and Dean of Engineering at the Nacional Universidad de Asunción. Additionally, she advocated for STEM education in all California schools at the state’s capitol in Sacramento, California to Senator Brian Jones and Assemblymember Brian Maienschein.

Madalyn has earned numerous accolades and honors over the years for her perseverance, dedication, compassion, and tireless efforts to promote STEM locally and globally. She is a FIRST Dean’s List Award winner (2020), the most prestigious FIRST Robotics individual award for excellence in academics, leadership and advancement of STEM, and the 2021 SWE Global Innovator Award for exemplifying intellectual curiosity and leadership in the STEM Community from the Society of Women Engineers. A four-time President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award recipient, she has devoted over 200+ hours of volunteer work to promote STEM to the underrepresented and underserved since 2016. She is also a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient where her project entitled “Championing for STEM Diversity to Bridge the STEM Gender Gap” focused on gender parity.

Madalyn is truly an exceptional young leader who clearly has a passion to be a change agent for diversity and inclusion in STEM careers.