Cynthia Breazeal

At an early age, Cynthia Breazeal was exposed to the wonders of STEM, seeing both her parents working as scientists in Livermore, California. When she was 10, Breazeal watched the first Star Wars movie, and it immediately captured her interest. Seeing those iconic robots R2D2 and C3PO, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in science and technology.

"All these robots, doing all these things like finding Coke cans -- today like simple behaviors, but I'd never seen a fully automated robot before. And that moment, where a childhood memory comes rushing back, I thought, if we're ever going to see robots like Star Wars, it's going to happen in a lab just like this. This is where it's going to start" - Cynthia Breazeal.

In the beginning, she had aspirations of becoming a doctor, but, when she attended UC Santa Barbara to obtain a degree in electrical and computer engineering, she started to become intrigued by robotics due to a new robotics lab that was built at the university. Thus, she decided to take more robotics classes, and, for her master's degrees, she continued her journey to MIT and was awe-struck by the robotics lab there. It reminded her of those robots from Star Wars, and she knew she belonged there.

Ultimately, Breazeal chose to research social robotics, which revolves around relationships, social behaviors, and how to best build a robot that enhances our environment as humans. Her goal was to create a robot that can "work to help strengthen and facilitate relationships." This goal came in the form of Jibo: the world's first family robot. She launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that raised 2.2 million dollars and became one of the top five highest funded campaigns on Indiegogo ever.

So, what does Jibo do? Using artificial intelligence, its role is essentially as a companion in your home, taking photos, having conversations with people, and just learning about your family. The most important aspect of Jibo for Breazeal was that it is "hands free, [so] you don't have to stop being in the human moment." It simply acts right alongside everyone and does not disturb the sacred familial environment. Primarily, Jibo tries to take away some of the stress in the home by helping with anything the family needs.

"To be an extraordinary woman doesn't mean you have to be superwoman...it's about knowing when you need help, asking for help, being there for others when they need help, growing these support networks" - Cynthia Breazeal.

Above all, some of the key takeaways for me with her story include her childhood experiences and the importance she places on female empowerment. First, as I have emphasized countless times, seeing is believing. When Breazeal saw her mother in the computer science field, she believed that she could do that too. If we surround girls with examples of successful women in STEM, not only will they be inspired to go into that career path, but they will also truly feel they belong there. We can reduce the widespread phenomenon of imposter syndrome by providing role models for young girls, whether it be at home, school, or in the media. Additionally, Breazeal often discusses how vital having support networks are, especially with women in a male-dominated field. We truly do gain strength from numbers, so the more we can expand our relationships with other women, the stronger we get.