Emily Bayuk: The Future of STEM
By Sheri West, Founder & CEO, LiveGirl
Gen Z has the future in their hands. They are rising to make a difference. They are tackling the biggest challenges of our time and finding new ways to make an impact. Emily Bayuk is a Gen Z leader. I first met Emily when she visited LiveGirl on her STEM Diaries tour. So, when B&NC Magazine asked me to interview her, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, I believe in paying it forward and lifting the next generation of fierce female leaders, like Emily.
Emily was born and raised in Bedford and attended Fox Lane High School. She graduated from Bucknell University in 2021, where she majored in electrical engineering and launched The STEM Diaries. She’s a cybersecurity consultant analyst at Accenture and lives in Hudson Yards. She has 17k followers on her Instagram account @thestemdiaries, she’s been the keynote speaker for Microsoft’s Robotics Camp for Girls in STEM, and at the Code Ninja fireside chats, and for Girls Inc., and she co-hosts a weekly, one-hour Instagram LIVE series hosted by @engineeringmemesguy called ‘Women in STEM Wednesdays that has 403k followers!
Emily is smart, young, determined…and a serious STEM and STEM-for-women influencer.
BAYUK: The STEM Diaries fuses STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – with a trendy, adventurous and healthy lifestyle, to create learning experiences that empower women to succeed in STEM.
It all started as a high school scholarship contest entry. I did a hand-written and illustrated bullet-point journal-inspired book that broke down complex circuit concepts for ages 8+. I ended up showing the book to one of my electrical engineering professors at Bucknell who suggested I publish it. I got further encouragement and support from my mentors, Fran Hauser and Katie Sweeney.
In 2021, I also launched my Instagram account – @thestemdiaries, which has already grown to over 17k followers. Two reels hit over a million views, and my most-watched reel has over 6.3 million views! I use Instagram to connect topics from everyday life such as yoga, food and travel to promote STEM analysis and solutions. Through my Instagram content, I like connecting topics that people use/see in their everyday life, such as yoga, food and travel (e.g. NYC landmarks and locations) to science, technology, engineering and/or math. My most popular resource is my engineering guide, including an engineering personality quiz that helps determine which type of engineering is for you.
WEST: What turned you on to STEM?
BAYUK: My grandfather, who also lives in Bedford, was a math major who ended up becoming a computer engineer, and he programmed mainframe computers in the 1960s through the 1990s. I loved hearing his stories about being a computer programming pioneer. He taught me to be a curious learner.
I received a Snap Circuits Jr kit from my family as a present for my 7th birthday. I loved putting the circuit elements together, like a puzzle, to make an alarm sound, bulb illuminate, or fan spin. I always enjoyed problem solving, and liked math and science in school.
As an Electrical Engineering major at Bucknell, I had some really stimulating professors, and I had an internship with Morgan Stanley’s cybersecurity team during my sophomore year which sparked my interest in the field.
BAYUK: I hope to inspire and empower girls to pursue and succeed in STEM and show them women in STEM role models at a younger age. I feel like I’ve already seen success…my Sister is a Sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering at Bucknell, and my younger Cousin, who lives in Bedford Corners, is a senior at Fox Lane High School and she’s intending to major in Electrical Engineering in college.
I like being living proof for other girls that you don’t have to be a fashion model to be an influencer, or a scientist, or anything else you want to be. You can be smart and creative and aspirational.
WEST: What’s your mantra, what makes you tick?
BAYUK: ‘No’ means I haven’t gotten to the right person…yet! If I’m anything, I’m perseverant. As a learner and in everything I do. STEM for girls is a real mission for me.
Personally, I like classic rock music, like The Doors. I like hiking, especially on all the great trails in Bedford and Pound Ridge. My favorite local restaurant is Koku for sushi. And I’ve been particularly inspired, as I mentioned, by Fran Hauser and Katie Sweeney…Remarkably, they are each inspirational authors who live in Bedford, I happened to babysit for each of them while I was in high school, and each was kind and caring enough to give me support and encouragement that’s been critical to my development. I’ll pay it forward, and The Stem Diaries are my first installment.