Know a teen girl who lights up at the mention of science, technology, engineering or math? Pegasus Park may be the place for her on Saturday.
That’s when Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company will be hosting Sunniefest, a new full-day event that uses culture and entertainment to spark Gen Z girls’ interest in STEM. The festival is a collaboration between the Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ If/Then Initiative, which seeks to advance and spotlight women in STEM, and Hello Sunshine, which tells stories shining “a light on where women are now and helping them chart a new path forward,” according to its website.
If/Then and Hello Sunshine previously announced a partnership in February to produce and distribute films and TV shows that further the vision of Lyda Hill, the philanthropy’s founder, of putting more women in STEM careers.
“Gen Z women are rewriting the script every day — they’re creators, vibrant leaders, and disruptors, full of agency,” said Witherspoon in a news release. “Sunniefest is both a playground and a launchpad, a space where their ideas fuel each other and their voices aren’t just heard, they’re amplified.”
News Roundups
Sunniefest is a new festival created by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine that uses culture and entertainment to spark Gen Z girls’ interest in STEM.
Hello Sunshine
Guest speakers at Sunniefest include actors such as Kiernan Shipka — known for her role in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina — and Raegan Revord, who played Missy Cooper in the sitcom Young Sheldon.
Attendees can explore the science of fragrance in a hands-on lab, try coding and controlling robots and visit an interactive booth from Purdue University that highlights a range of STEM careers. The festival will also include confidence-building sessions, giveaways, food and branded activities.
“We created Sunniefest because Gen Z girls are craving real connection — authentic moments with their peers and with the brands that truly get them,” said Maureen Polo, CEO of Hello Sunshine, in the news release.
“Together with Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Sunnie has built a space and community where young women can explore who they are, gain confidence, and be inspired through hands-on creativity, STEM labs, workshops and incredible conversations.”
Nicole Small, CEO of LH Capital Inc., surrounded by more than 100 sculptures, all of women in STEM as part of the #IfThenSheCan—The Exhibit at NorthPark Center in Dallas on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.
Lola Gomez / Staff Photographer
Sunniefest will be held at Pegasus Park, a 26-acre campus Lyda Hill Philanthropies invested in to transform the commercial area into a life sciences ecosystem for North Texas. In recent years, the innovation hub displayed statues of women scientists as part of Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ #IfThenSheCan — The Exhibit, a national exhibit of 120 3D-printed statues celebrating women in STEM.
“My hope is that one day a girl who comes to Sunniefest curious about science will return here as a researcher, innovator, or changemaker making discoveries that improve lives,” Hill said in a news release.
Details
Tickets for Sunniefest 2025 cost $75 and are available at wearesunnie.com/sunniefest. The festival will be held near the Tower at Pegasus Park at 3000 Pegasus Park Drive, Dallas, and will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 15.
Miriam Fauzia is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.
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