In addition to being the only female in the advanced technology courses at Grand Island High School, Nathalie Winder has demonstrated high academic achievement in advanced course work in math and science. Winder, of Hemlock Drive, Grand Island, won the 2012 annual scholarship awarded by the Grand Island Professional Women’s Chapter, New York State Women, Inc.
Sonja Miller, past president and chairman of the scholarship committee, said that Winder is a multitalented young lady with perseverance and leadership skills that provide an added dimension and perspective in the field of engineering design. Miller is professor of Clinical Laboratory Technology at Erie Community College.
“With the talent pool of qualified female engineers running low, I encourage young women who enjoy and have a talent for math and science to consider this dynamic and opportunity-filled career path,” Miller said.
Winder also received a matching funds scholarship from the Grand island Chapter of Dollars for Scholars, according Chapter Secretary Beverly Kinney.
On the first day of her freshman year, Winder walked into the technology classroom and felt somewhat out of place because she was one of only two girls in the class.“The biggest project that year was designing ‘hockey bots,’ “ she said. “From the best paint job to the best mechanics, my partner and I created a hockey bot that went undefeated and won the school championship.”
During her senior year, Winder was in the Advanced Technological Design Class where the biggest event was Tech Wars at Niagara County Community College.
“My two teammates and I built a wooden bridge to participate in the large-scale bridge building competition,” Winder said. “ We set both a school and Tech Wars record, holding a whopping 995 lbs. on our 5.5 lb bridge; and, we secured a first place win.”
“I have grown and matured since that first day of freshman year, and I have become completely comfortable around the guys,” Winder said. “It has given me self-confidence, and I have proven the stereotype that girls are bad at technology wrong, countless times.”
Winder add one “In both group and individual projects, I have presented different ideas and thoughts, and ways to solve problems that boys just don’t think of,” she continued. “I have a different perspective than the rest of the class because I am a girl; and, therefore, I was able to come up with unique solutions to problems.”
Winder said that this is because she considers both appearance and functionality when designing a project. She also considers how to present her ideas in a thoughtful way---organized, neat and precise.
Winder thinks it is very important to encourage young women to enter STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
Winder said that one of the things that really helped her was the high standards that her parents set for her, and that she later learned to set for herself. Her parents are Stephen and Theresa Winder.
According to Winder, being one of the few girls in a field can be intimidating, but after going through years of tech classes in high school, she has gotten used to the gender gap.
“In today’s society, young women do seem somewhat reluctant to take an interest in engineering or technology,” she said. “If we can give them role models who are intelligent and motivated, they might set different goals for themselves. In addition, there needs to be programs that encourage younger girls to study engineering and technology.”
Winder said that Grand Island High School has a very impressive number and variety of tech classes, and the teachers are enthusiastic and interesting. This, too, helps motivate girls.
The 2011 GIHS Homecoming Queen has been involved in many diverse school activities. A varsity swimmer, she was captain of the Piranhas Swim Team and team manager for the Boys High School Swim Team.
Winder was class vice president for all four years and a member of the National Honor Society. She was just named one of twelve students selected as Rotary-PTSA Students of the Year.
Winder earned her second black belt in Karate in January 2009 and her senior black belt in August 2010. She said her proudest moment was when she earned her black belt. “I was only 13 years old and one of the youngest and smallest students in the school to test my rank.”
She received the Rochester Institute of Technology Computing Medal and was nominated for and awarded a four-year partial scholarship to attend RIT. She will use this scholarship and the two Grand Island scholarships to attend RIT’s fall semester.