In our Junior Achievement 18 Under 18 recipients series, we’re next highlighting Trinity Peters. She’s the very definition of young women in STEM/STEAM! Read on the hear why she was selected as an inaugural Junior Achievement 18 Under 18!
Trinity Peters, Empire High School, Vail 18 years old
Trinity Peters will begin her studies in environmental engineering at Colorado State University-Fort Collins this fall. It sure sounds like a good fit: Trinity has devoted much
of her life to robotics and the environment. “My ultimate goal is to become a project manager, anywhere where I can express my environmental engineering passion,” she said.
Trinity is the captain of the 1828 BoxerBots team for the Vail School District. She also is a leader in the YES (Youth Engaged Stewardship) program that surveys the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area in Tucson for conservation. Through the robotics program, she and a team design and build robots over a six-week period to complete a challenge.
“This year our robot had to pick up power cubes and place them on various levels,” she said. “When I was 7 my mom and dad took my brother and me to a robotics competition. It was really exciting. I wanted to be a part of it. In eighth grade, I could join a team, and now this is my fifth year on it.”
What do you want to be doing in 10 years? I hope to in 10 years hold multiple master’s degrees in environmental engineering or sustainable development, different things like that, working for an engineering firm and having a steady job.
Who’s your biggest inspiration? My mom. She demonstrated hard work to me and pursuing a goal. She was in the military and she’s able to demonstrate strength and prove that just because you’re a female, it doesn’t mean you can’t contribute as much or more. She’s showed me that I can succeed in a male-dominated industry.
What’s the best advice you’ve received? Not letting anyone put you down. Make sure you stay strong. Women can take power and control in a leadership situation.
