Our most recent blog post for the Spotlight on Science Occupations series features an educator and STEM school co-founder who was inspired by her own love of science and her own path of learning. Dr. Crystal Howe of the G.O. B.I.G Stem Academy in Charlotte has helped to to create a beautiful experience for young girls that helps them see themselves as scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. It’s a safe place to explore STEM and experience STEM opportunities while letting young minds develop creative ideas for making the world a better place. It’s something we need more of.
From Math-Enthusiast to STEM School Co-Founder: My Journey to G.O. B.I.G
Dr. Crystal Howe, Co-Founder and Founding School Leader
Growing up, I was that kid who loved math. While many of my friends at the same age were griping about algebra and word problems, I asked questions like, “But why does this work?” I loved discovering how numbers apply to life—whether determining the best deal at my favorite stores, how fast the 2 or 5 train could go from 3rd Avenue to 149th Street, or how many more things in our world could attribute their beauty or structure to mathematical equations.
Math was not something I had to learn—it was something that made the world make sense.
Luckily, I also had some incredible math and science teachers who encouraged my sense of curiosity. They made learning an adventure and showed me that science and math were not dry subjects studied out of a book but doors to exploring and charting the world. Those early experiences in math and science awakened something in me, the belief that education, especially STEM education, should be experiential, engaging, and discovery-driven.
That foundation led me to leave my small South Bronx community and pursue the opportunity to attend Westover, an all-girls, college-preparatory boarding school in Connecticut. As part of Westover’s Women in Science and Engineering (W.I.S.E.) program, I experienced both the rigor and the joy of learning, feeling empowered and unencumbered in a system designed to challenge and uplift young women in STEM. Excelling under this unique educational model, I matriculated at Yale University, where I was pre-med, determined to become a doctor.
However, something changed for me while I was in college. Although I continued to enjoy math and science, I discovered I enjoyed helping others learn and grow more. The prospect of becoming a teacher felt invigorating. I had a renewed sense of responsibility and a call to action to ensure that all girls, especially girls from high-needs communities like my own, received the caliber of education that had opened doors for me. I determined to create more inclusive routes for girls that would tap into their curiosity, confidence, and capability in STEM.
As a math and science teacher, I was committed to bringing these subjects to life for my students the way that they had come alive for me. I loved creating lessons that brought wonder to my students’ eyes. I would take abstract math and science concepts and turn them into concrete, hands-on experiences. My goal was to enhance my students’ awareness that math and science were not merely school subjects, but powerful tools for understanding the world.
I also wanted to make STEM fun, relevant, and most of all, accessible. After all, I saw firsthand how representation, validation, and a compelling curriculum could make a difference with my students, especially for girls who might not initially think of themselves as a “math or science person.” Watching my students build problem-solving confidence, ask more conceptual questions, and even start venturing into STEM explorations of their own was exciting. Yet I understood that the work of dismantling barriers to receiving a quality education, particularly for girls in STEM, would not just start and stop with my classroom.
That understanding inspired me to co-found Great Opportunities and Boundless Innovations for Girls—North Carolina’s first tuition-free, all-girls, STEM-focused K-8 charter school, affectionately known as G.O. B.I.G. This August, we will open our doors in West Charlotte to our initial class of young scholars in grades K-2. At G.O. B.I.G., we believe in doing more than just teaching STEM. We want our female scholars to think critically, question extensively, create prolifically, and see themselves as the veritable mathematicians, scientists, engineers, inventors, and researchers they are. We strive to ensure our scholars feel seen, encouraged, and empowered so that they can envision bigger outcomes for their academic and professional journeys.
Looking back on my own STEM pathway, I know the life-changing effect of having teachers and mentors who believe in you, challenge you, encourage you, and remind you that you belong. That is what we are building at G.O. B.I.G. We are cultivating a culture of STEM-inism and STEM-powerment, where girls can dream big, think big, and ultimately go big on their path to becoming confident, capable leaders in STEM.
If you are committed to opening doors for more girls in STEM, follow us at https://www.gobigcharlotte.org. Let’s GO BIG together!