A qualitative case study was conducted by examining the perceptions of fifth-grade African American girls about their experiences with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and potential for STEM as a future career. As the United States suffers from waning participation across all demographics in STEM and a high level of underrepresentation of African American women in STEM, the proposed study examined data collected through open-ended interviews with fifth-grade African American girls to explore how their current experiences and perceptions might relate to the underrepresentation of African American women in the STEM fields. Participants were selected from Miracle Elementary School (pseudonym), and consisted of all five students in a small class of high-achieving fifth-grade girls. Data were collected through in-class observations and open-ended interviews, and were analyzed using computer content analysis. The most important key results threaded through the data were related to the importance and role of the teacher, the importance of math to students, the role of experimentation and discovery, and hands-on and personal experience. Future studies are encouraged to utilize longitudinal design to follow students from elementary to university level in an effort to develop and understand the perception, persistence, and experience of all girls in STEM programs. [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/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]