With the aim of inspiring young women to take part in STEM programs, the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, and Walbec Group, collaborated to host Smart Girls Rock! Approximately 100 freshman, sophomore, and junior female students from multiple Fox Cities area schools attended the one day only event at Walbec Group where they were able to experience things such as live welding with software demonstrations and 3D modeling.
VP of Emerging Talent, Sharla Jens stated that, “Smart Girls Rock! gets local female students excited about careers in STEM through this day-long, interactive mentoring event, Hosted within the walls of a regional STEM employer, Walbec Group, the event connects the Fox Cities science and tech community with girls in area high schools to inspire their interest in STEM careers and provide academic and career planning guidance to get where they want to go.”
The program also allows girls to set career goals and take steps to realize the realities of their own goals. There was also a speed mentoring session, where small groups of girls moved through interactive stations and learned from professional women in the industry. Bridget Kraus, the Vice president of Marketing for Walbec Group stated that, “Events like this are very important because a lot of the industries we’re in are male-dominated, We’re trying to expose our young girls to different STEM careers and really spark their interest.”
Overall, a total of 12 companies attended the STEM event, and all 12 sent women to connect with the young girls attending the event aspiring to get into the STEM field.
—
AlesiaKan / Shutterstock.com