Page 9 - TTMNSpring2024

Career Pathways — Manufacturing
Teaching Today Minnesota | Spring 2024 Page 9

Lakeville South Seniors Organize ‘Breaking Barriers: EmpowHERing Futures’

Career Event for 8th–12th Grade Girls

School a few years ago. The student organizers also mentioned
“As a group of young females, we felt how planning this event gave them confidence
the desire to inspire the younger generation in their ability to bring people together and
of girls to explore some career paths they may create change, even on a small scale.
have not already considered,” said Sutton. “So often ‘change’ is seen as something
“Even though we have come a long way, there that has to be miraculous and on a massive
is still a stigma surrounding women in some scale,” said Sutton. “This event showed us
professions, whether intentional or not.” that by bringing even a small group of people
The student organizers started planning together we could instigate change and inspire
this event in the fall of 2023 with support others even if it wasn’t the biggest event in the
from Lakeville South STEM teacher Dan world.”
Rawley and Century Middle School STEM The students noted one of the most
teacher Jodie Bray. Their organization process rewarding aspects of this event was meeting a
included: searching for a venue; communicat- group of positive, strong, and amazing women.
ing and coordinating with event speakers and “We would love to give our gratitude to
volunteers; reaching out to local companies all of our amazing speakers,” said Eastling,
for sponsorship and food donations; attending Goodman, Sutton, and Tschida. ”It was a gift
other STEM nights throughout the district; and meeting them all and we are so grateful for
advertising for the event. their time spent dedicated to our event, goals,
One of their biggest takeaways from and vision.”
Lakeville Area Schools around to stations hosted by women from organizing and hosting this event was how
In January, Lakeville Area Schools 8th- underrepresented fields. At each station, stu- important it is to keep moving forward despite
12th grade female students attended ‘Breaking dents learned about a different career field and setbacks.
Barriers: EmpowHERing Futures’— a career participated in an activity related to that field. “Planning this event taught us the impor- www.isd194.org
event organized by a group of Lakeville South Lakeville South seniors Halle Eastling, tance of working through failures and how to
High School seniors. The main idea behind Anna Goodman, Ashley Sutton, and Tori keep moving forward when things don’t go as
the event was to inspire the next generation Tschida put this event together for their STEM planned,” said Sutton. “We had problems such
of girls to explore job opportunities in fields senior capstone project. Their event was as communication failures, venue changes,
where women are the minority. inspired by the ‘Grit to Great’ career exposure and time constraints, but we kept moving
Throughout the event, students traveled event that was hosted at Apple Valley High forward and worked out conflicts that arose.”
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