When I was in 7th grade a girl placed first in a statewide math competition. When the principle presented her with the award in front of the student body, she said, "I'm so proud to present this award to a girl." She went on to talk about what an achievement it is for a girl to do well in math. The clear message to all of us was that girls are not expected to do well as boys in math, and when they do, it is surprising and something to be celebrated. This is my personal encounter with gender gap at St. Angela Mercy High School in Washington. Simply some may argue that gender gap no longer e…
