To the millions of little girls and young women who love math and science: you are OK.

As a matter of fact, you are more than OK; you are brilliant. I say this because, like you, I grew up with a love of math and science, and I turned out just fine.

Somewhere along your journey, you will probably have people who look down on you, who bully you, who tell you what to do with your life. Let me tell you a secret: you don't have to listen to them.

The world says engineering is for boys. Toys like Legos, Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys, and erector sets are marketed toward young boys, while the girls are stuck with Barbies and other glamorous dolls. There's nothing wrong with dolls, but there is something deeply wrong with encouraging girls to believe that building toys are for boys.

Girls have a tremendous responsibility when it comes to creating the future. The future of medicine, transportation, and communication is in our generation's hands, so we, ladies, need to stand up and have a part in it!

For generations, the world has been engineered and invented by men, including products we women use regularly, such as sanitary products, handbags, hair dyes, mammography (figures), and more than half of the makeup products we use daily. While there's nothing inherently bad about any of these inventions, we all have thought, from time to time, "I know a way I could make this better." Ladies, let me promise you: WE CAN.

Many women have blazed the trail we now have before us, such as Emily Roebling (1803-1903), first woman field engineer and technical leader of the Brooklyn Bridge, and Beulah Henry (1887-1973), inventor of the bobbin-free lockstitch sewing machine, a doll with flexible arms, a vacuum ice cream freezer, a doll with a radio inside and a typewriter that made multiple copies without carbon paper. Hedy Lamarr (1913-2000), a famous actress of the 30s and 40s, developed a frequency hopping theory that now serves as a basis for modern communication technology, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi network connections. Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972) contributed to industrial engineering by studying workplace patterns and ergonomics, and is now considered the "Mother of Modern Management." Last, but certainly not least, Mary Jackson (1921-2005), whose stunning career was highlighted in the 2016 movie Hidden Figures, was NASA's first African-American female engineer, breaking numerous social and technological barriers.

I am writing this as a senior in engineering, one of only two females in my graduating class, and I am proud to be a female engineer following in the footsteps of the few great women before me. We are so strong, so capable, that the only thing standing in our way is ourselves. We must abandon the mindset of "women don't do that," and move on to a mindset of "women are invincible!"

Mothers, fathers, teach your little girls that they can do ANYTHING. Buy them the "boys' toys." Help them with their math homework. Show them that science is fun. When the world tells them they can't, remind them that they can.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for buying me "boys' toys" and teaching me that math and science are fun. Thanks for not letting me give up every time I tried to.