8-year-old Virginia girl inspiring other young girls to join STEM through her nonprofit

ASHBURN, Va. (7News) — A Loudoun County girl is paving the way for other girls to join careers in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).

Myra Saxena, 8, is making big impacts throughout her community.

"I have loved coding since I was four years old," Myra said.

Myra said everything changed after she attended summer camp.

“When I went there I was the only girl there and none of the boys wanted me on their team because they thought I could not do anything,” Myra said.

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Being the problem solver that she is, Myra said she built a robot by herself that impressed everyone.

“After the summer camp, I was really impressed with myself and I wanted more girls like me to be in that type of summer camp and get girls into stem and coding," said Myra.

Since then, she has partnered with Johns Hopkins, started her own First Lego League team –-- part of a worldwide robotics program, and is the youth ambassador of two nonprofits all while running her own nonprofit, which is called Sparklez.

She is a youth ambassador for Moozie.

She sells her handmade charm bracelets, key chains and bookmarks through Sparklez.

“It’s all about health and education and I really like to do STEM, that is how I get girls to like STEM and I also support a computer lab in an underprivileged school in India and I have supported one blind girl which is more than $1,000 for all of the education and brail paper,” Myra said.

She is hosting a STEM A THON at the Sterling Library on June 11.