African girls and women in STEM face various challenges, including limited access to resources, gender bias, and lack of representation. Still, some are beating the odds to become great in the field, contributing immensely to the advancement of science and technology. According to the World Bank, females represent 30% of students graduating from STEM fields in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Nomhle Ngwenya is one the few African women inspiring young girls in Africa to pursue careers in STEM. Last year, she became the youngest Ph.D. graduate at the University of the Witwatersrand’s science faculty. At 25 years old, she also became the youngest academic to obtain a Ph.D. in science. The South African was also the first Black woman to move straight from an honours program to a Ph.D. in the history of Wits, according to News24.

Ngwenya, who grew up wanting a career in geography, said she never imagined making history in academics. She was at the time very interested in how the environment or geography affects society and vice versa. “Geography is such a multidisciplinary subject. It’s not just climate change, but economic development, society and more. You get everything in one component. That’s why I enjoyed geography even from my high school days,” she said to News24.