FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6/8/2026
Ladue Student Founder Madeline Awad Helping Open Doors to Medical Careers for Local Youth
ST. LOUIS, MO — Black Girls Do STEM (BGDSTEM) is proud to celebrate its growing partnership with Bridges to Medicine, a student-led initiative founded by Ladue High School student Madeline Awad, that is helping young women gain firsthand exposure to careers in medicine and healthcare.
For the past two years, Bridges to Medicine and BGDSTEM have collaborated to provide immersive healthcare career exploration experiences for middle and high school students throughout the St. Louis region. Through this partnership, scholars have toured multiple departments within BJC HealthCare, including Radiology and Surgery, while also exploring educational pathways through visits to the Goldfarb School of Nursing.
The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to addressing healthcare workforce gaps by inspiring the next generation of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers, and healthcare leaders.
“Exposure changes everything,” said Cynthia Chapple, Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls Do STEM. “Many young people never have the opportunity to step inside a hospital operating room, speak with healthcare professionals, or see themselves in these careers. Through our partnership with Bridges to Medicine and Madeline’s leadership, our students are gaining access to experiences that help transform curiosity into confidence and future career aspirations.”
Founded by Madeline Awad while a student at Ladue High School, Bridges to Medicine was created to connect youth with meaningful opportunities to explore healthcare professions and better understand educational pathways into medicine.
The partnership aligns with BGDSTEM’s mission of creating pathways into STEM, specifically their medical and healthcare pathway focus, for girls from historically underrepresented communities. Through experiential learning opportunities, mentorship, and career exposure, students gain valuable insight into professions that are critical to the future of healthcare.
About Black Girls Do STEM
Black Girls Do STEM is a St. Louis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls through STEM education, career exploration, mentorship, leadership development, and global learning experiences. Through programs that foster curiosity, confidence, and community, BGDSTEM helps young women discover pathways to successful futures in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, healthcare, and beyond.
About Bridges to Medicine
Bridges to Medicine is a student-founded initiative created by Madeline Awad to connect young people with meaningful healthcare career exploration opportunities through hospital tours, professional networking, and exposure to educational pathways in medicine and healthcare.
Recent Comments