Community News!

from Kathie Harbaugh, AAUW Springfield President:  I am still trying to take in the March 9 successful Girls in STEM event. More than 60 middle school girls and their families made up a standing room-only crowd of over 120 guests plus presenters and volunteers. Everyone had a wonderful time, and the excitement and passion of those involved left no doubt in my mind that our branch was spot on with its assessment of the need for encouragement in this area. I am so grateful to Anne Kaup Fett, Karen Duncan, Joan Elder, Barbara Matthies, Denise Wells, and Kristen and Morgan Howell for your support and help before, during and after this event. In addition to addressing a real need for girls in our community, we began a friendship with the Springfield Chapter of The Links (Londa Holliday) and look forward to getting to know each other and working together in the future! We are thrilled that Springfield City Schools embraced this idea and took the project to greater heights than we could have imagined possible. Our branch gathered a full-page list of summer STEM camps and other opportunities for girls and included it in the event backpack that attendees received. Finally, my hat is off (and tossed straight up into the air) to my friend and STEM panelist Besa Sharrah, who traveled from Columbus to share with us. While it is true that there are few mechanical engineers who could describe how to take things apart in six different languages, it was Besa’s deeply heartfelt passion and enthusiasm for girls entering the STEM field that left us speechless and hungering for more. In response to the panel question, “Why would I encourage girls to go into a STEM related field,” her answer was straightforward. “Why would I not? As women we are our own worst self-critics, if it’s not perfect it is not good enough. I believe women to be just as great at tearing down engines as they are at playing with dolls. We need role models. We need to be able to follow in someone’s footsteps. Perhaps, you are the role model, perhaps you are the one to cure cancer, walk on a new planet or discover a new technology. And if you fail, get back in there, FAIL AGAIN, FAIL BETTER.” Branch representatives will continue to meet with other STEM sponsors to vision additional ways to support these excited young women as they move forward to fulfill their dreams.

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