Payton Herman of Moon is her own STEAM superhero
For a fourth-grade project on animals, Payton Herman chose the giant squid while others selected more traditionally lovable creatures. For her, the gifted program was just an extra opportunity to perform science experiments. When it came time to select a Girl Scouts Gold Award project, all she had to do was look around in her science classes.
Payton honed in on engineering with the help of a physics teacher at Moon Area High School. Classes, such as wood and metal shop and mechanical drafting thrilled her, but she was almost the only young woman there. Simultaneously, she participated in a group that focused on “female empowerment and activism.”
“Both of those together pushed me to show younger girls that STEAM can be their path, and, if they’re interested in science, they should pursue it,” she said.
Combining that sentiment with a longtime fondness for Marvel superheroes, she created a fourday STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) camp for elementary school-aged girls at her local library titled, “Be Your Own Superhero STEAM Camp.”
Fifteen third- and fourth-grade girls attended (plus one little brother who didn’t want to leave). They created superheroes; learned about conservation, botany, chemistry and surface tension (by making their own bubble mixtures); built model airplanes and more.
Payton, who will soon turn 19, is a sophomore ocean engineering major at the Florida Institute of Technology, which awarded her a $2,500 per year Scouting Scholarship in honor of her Gold Award. But the tuition help isn’t the only thing keeping the memory of her project strong.
“This project makes me want to do better and be better in college to pave the way for this next generation of girls who are going to be amazing in whatever career path they choose.”