Creativity, innovation, and women’s leadership took center stage in Medellín during “Ellas Transforman: A STEAM Gathering for Girls, Young Women, and Women Shaping the Future,” held on October 20 at Politécnico Grancolombiano. Students from the Software Engineering program at Fundación Universitaria María Cano, members of the InteractiveSoft research group affiliated with GRINTEC, demonstrated how innovative ideas can become solutions to real-world challenges.

One of the event’s highlights was the STEM Pitch Challenge, an innovation competition that invited participants to identify problems in their communities, develop creative solutions, and present their proposals to a specialized judging panel.

During the challenge, María José Cardona Velásquez, a María Cano Software Engineering student, presented her team’s proposal, which was selected as the winner. She also received individual recognition for the quality of her presentation, leadership, and ability to build a compelling argument. Professor Elizabeth Gómez Yepes accompanied and supported the students throughout the experience.

The gathering brought together women from academic, business, and technology sectors, along with communities committed to increasing female participation in STEAM fields. It provided opportunities to exchange experiences, learn from one another, and inspire future generations of women in science and technology.

This achievement highlights the importance of academic training and research in developing the skills needed to turn ideas into solutions with social impact. María Cano’s Faculty of Engineering celebrates this recognition and reaffirms its commitment to research, innovation, and women’s leadership. Because women don’t just imagine the future: they code it, innovate it, and transform it!

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