Women are underrepresented in the STEM workforce areas of architecture, engineering, and computer science. The STEM workforce is a reflection of the STEM educational system. A solution for increasing the number of women in the STEM workforce is to increase the number of students in STEM education. There is research that explains why women do not pursue STEM in education and as a career but not why some do. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and explain the experiences and perceptions of young women who have graduated high school pertaining to their participation in and completion of an architecture, engineering, or computer science program. The research question used to guide this study was how do young women explain what influenced their entry into and completion of the Engineering, Architecture, or Computer Science pathway? Vroom's expectancy theory was used as a theoretical lens to predict and classify the research findings. The participants described themselves as academically gifted and were influenced by their mother who worked in a STEM field. The young women who participated in the study entered the pathway without prior knowledge of what the pathway was about. They made the decision to stay and complete the pathway because they enjoyed the work and found their presence as one of the few young women in the class empowering. The findings from this study can be used as a guide to provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of architecture, engineering, and computer science. More efforts need to be channeled toward recruiting young women to participate in nontraditional STEM areas in secondary education. Recommendations for further research are explained. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]