You may have heard the term "women in STEM" as an umbrella for those raising the ceiling to follow their passion. Ana Vo is putting the term to practice.

The high school senior is taking advantage of Gulf Shores High School's array of AP classes and career pathway curriculum, exploring everything from chemistry to robotics as she finds her way toward college and a community-impacting career.

What it seems she doesn't do is let it all overwhelm her. By keeping her sights set on what she finds interesting and using family, friends and teachers' encouragement to propel her forward, Vo is a shining part of the Gulf Coast's Next Generation.

This is a new monthly series, made possible with support to Gulf Coast Media by Columbia Southern University, that will feature the area's young leaders and doers. There's so much going on in this generation to be excited about, but traditionally, newspapers mainly cover high schoolers through sports. Gulf Coast Media Next Gen will feature people doing exciting things in classrooms, in the community, in entrepreneurship, in volunteerism. The possibilities are endless.

Share this story online at www.gulfcoastmedia.com/nextgen, and find a video interview with Vo on Facebook @gulfcoastmedia and Instagram @gulfcoastnews.

ANA VO, GULF SHORES HIGH SCHOOL

The Gulf Shores High School senior wants to major in chemical engineering or material science, so she's taking all the AP classes she can to get a head start. That includes STEM pathway courses, such as environmental engineering and computer science principles, and is learning the basics of coding through an interactive coding project. Last year, the project was to design and build a hurricane-resistant house using online software that applies laser cutouts and other coding principles.

In ninth grade, she wanted to explore all the options she had to find her niche interest. That took her to Gulf Shores' robotics program, which she found engaging because of the hands-on learning. She plans to join the competition team this year.

"I want to immerse myself in that kind of environment. This kind of team collaboration will really help me in the future," Vo said.

The busy senior also finds AP chemistry interesting. She said she is drawn to the type of learning those labs provide, the "intersection of chemistry and engineering, … the composition and changing different factors" in experiments.

Advice for her peers: "The thing about Gulf Shores is we have so many opportunities that most students don't even realize. With all the AP curriculum and career pathway classes, there are competitions, you can join organizations, there are so many opportunities to find a place to belong."

But how does she juggle it all?

"There are some overwhelming moments, but just having your main motivation is what really keeps me going, just knowing that these AP classes will prepare me for college," Vo said. "And just having a really great support system, like family and friends and teachers as well, it can really help you stay motivated and on track."

College plans: Georgia Tech or another selective top college

Vo said she hopes to continue doing research on topics that interest her and become a biochemist or chemical engineer to apply her research "to a real-world solution to impact my community."

While STEM curriculum is expanding its reach as schools like Gulf Shores offer more and more specialized programs and hands-on learning experiences, it is still a significantly male-dominated field professionally. Vo credits her support system and staying connected to her passion as to why she doesn't see that as a barrier.

"I think it is a bit daunting at first to break into the STEM field because it is quite male-dominated, so I think that just knowing that I am the first in my family to break into STEM, that's a really motivating factor for me," she said.

She said her fellow students wanting to take a similar path show follow their passion and "find exactly what interests you."

"Forging your own path and not caring what other people think because it's something you want to do," she said.