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During my research at the University of Central Florida we found success and choice in the fields of no hard sciences, nurturing, and medical fields. People who identified as Black and females selected majors and graduate studies in ‘soft sciences’ and arts. It was in the nature of many, not all, those students to thrive in those fields.

We should not detract from individuals within a gender or race for choosing a path they have a talent for or try to force them into a career choice we want them to follow. Make the opportunities available but if they choose medical, legal, education, or art don’t try to press them into hard STEM classes. Their brains/DNA may not be wired that way.

That is why, as middle school and vocational school educators, we gave vocational aptitude battery tests to students to see where to steer them in high school and college. The military gives Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Tests to interested parties, also. It determines how they can best serve.