Across South Mississippi, Women Are Breaking Old Stereotypes, Redefining STEM, and Inspiring the Next Generation
For generations, girls were encouraged to choose careers that fit neatly inside a box—teacher, nurse, assistant. STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—often felt like worlds reserved for someone else—someone better at math, someone smarter, someone usually male.
Today, women across South Mississippi are shattering those old assumptions. From inspiring future astronauts and engineers to leading classrooms, laboratories, and industries, they’re redefining what STEM looks like—and encouraging the next generation to think beyond the limits they once faced themselves.
At INFINITY Science Center, Michelle Anderson believes one of the biggest misconceptions about STEM is that it belongs only in laboratories or on launch pads—but feels it actually happens wherever curiosity meets creativity. As chief executive officer and executive director, she sees science, technology, engineering, and mathematics woven into nearly every profession.
“I think there’s STEM in everything,” she said. “Reading matters. Writing matters. Every industry, every job, every role—you see a little bit of STEM in everything.”
And she’s passionate about helping young people discover a much broader reality—one where curiosity, communication, creativity, and problem-solving all have a place.
Her advice is as simple as it is empowering. “Think infinitely and beyond.”
That willingness to embrace possibility has shaped careers across the Gulf Coast, including Rhonda Price’s.
Price, director of the Office of Restoration and Resiliency and director of the Mississippi Coast National Heritage Area for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, began her career at NASA’s Stennis test site before pursuing archaeology through geographic information systems and remote sensing.
“My dad said I was going to starve,” Price said with a laugh.
Instead, one opportunity led to another. A former NASA director recruited Price to help build a GIS and remote sensing program at the Department of Marine Resources, launching what has become a 30-year career protecting Mississippi’s coastal resources.
Looking back, she realizes the most meaningful opportunities weren’t always the ones she planned. She also has watched the profession change. Early in her career, women were a rarity in engineering and science. “Now, when you walk around, you’re not the only woman in the room anymore,” she said.
Her advice to young women is one she’s lived herself. “Don’t get discouraged if you have to pivot and take another course or another direction,” she said.
Helping students discover that same confidence is what inspires Amanda Sharrow at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Harrison County Campus.
As a physics instructor and leader of MGCCC’s STEM initiatives, Sharrow said watching students recognize their own potential is the most rewarding part of her work.
“I love watching students challenge themselves, work through difficult problems, and experience the confidence that comes from realizing just how capable they are,” she said.
Through MGCCC’s National Science Foundation-funded Excelerate in STEM Scholarship Program, students gain more than financial support. They build relationships with mentors, connect with industry professionals, and develop the confidence to pursue careers they may never have imagined.
“Never let self-doubt decide your future,” Sharrow said. “You don’t have to fit a certain mold to succeed in STEM.”
Their paths looked different. Some discovered possibilities they never expected. Others found purpose through unexpected turns or by helping students believe in themselves. Together, these women are expanding what STEM looks like across South Mississippi—and, in their own way, reaching back and saying, “Come on. There’s room for you too.”
