I fell in love with mathematics at a young age. The never-ending challenges and possibilities were only the beginning of the appeal.

Growing up as a "mathlete," I spent many mornings practicing problems and many weekends at math tournaments. These have undoubtedly created some of the most memorable moments in my life so far. It didn't take me long to notice that I fell in the minority. Girls just don't do math — at least that's what my observations indicated.

It wasn't especially prominent at first, at least in middle school. But as high school came around, people began to zone in on the activities that mattered to them, and it appeared that, for my fellow females, math team was not high up on the priority list. The disparity between genders was striking. It was not uncommon to see just one or two girls on a team of eight members. It was rare to see more than one female place in the top 10 at any competition. First place? Think again — that was exclusively reserved for the math guys.

But why?

To clarify, I personally have had a positive experience in the mathematics arena overall. I spend a lot of my free time preparing for my math competitions and exploring new topics because it's what I love. I am not bitter or resentful about this situation — I really respect my fellow competitors, regardless of gender. In fact, my brother happens to be one of those guys who consistently smokes his competition (me included).

Yet, the gender difference is still unsettling. As of 2015, the gender ratio in the United States was established at .97 males/1 female. There are more females than males. Women make up roughly half the U.S. workforce, but in 2009, they made up only 25 percent of the STEM workforce. Granted, this percentage has probably changed a bit, but it is still remarkably low.

The STEM movement has grown greatly in the past decade. Educators and schools all over the world are promoting students' interest in the science, mathematics and technology in the classroom, but many girls lack confidence in their STEM pursuits.

Of course, I've received a fair share of pointed comments as well. Falling in the minority means being scrutinized. For the most part, people mean well, but the smallest slight can still be the greatest source of discouragement.

"You're really good at math for a girl!"

"Wow, that's an interesting career path for a girl!"

The list goes on. Those three words — "for a girl" — spoken or unspoken, reveal the inherent expectations we attach to different things. From athletics to academics, doing things well "for a girl" is applauded.

Are girls really worse at math than boys?

Here's an interesting data point: the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC), a 25-question multiple choice math contest offered internationally each year. Take, for instance, the 2016 AMC 12A. Out of the seven perfect scorers, 100 percent were male. Roughly 18,000 females and 27,000 males took this contest, and the scoring average for females was roughly five points lower than that of males for every single age group.

I've heard on multiple occasions that, because "guys' brains function differently," they have a "special knack for math!" Is this true? False? Data shows contradicting conclusions. Boys typically outperform girls in math standardized testing, but girls typically outperform boys in the classroom. Yet data varies over different countries and age groups. Furthermore, this doesn't offer an explanation for the gender disparity in the professional world.

I've talked exclusively about my experiences in math because that's where the bulk of my time is spent. However, even in my life, the gender disparity has not been confined to just math. Two years ago, I was the only girl on my science bowl team, and this year, I'm the only girl in my computer science class.

So what type of issue is this? Is this even an issue at all? Will promoting STEM to young girls really close the gap, or is the disparity caused by something even more intrinsic?

I've had the good fortune of being welcomed into my STEM pursuits, but I know not all girls feel the same way. The first step we can all take is cultivating a space where loving STEM is not only acceptable but equally encouraged for both genders — STEMinism, if you will.

Check out some organizations that promote STEMinism: Math Prize for Girls (a competitive math contest for females), Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) and Girls Who Code are just a few of many.