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Young Women
Explore STEM Careers at Edison State’s We Are IT! Event
More than 200 students ranging from sixth to eleventh grade engaged in
a day of learning and fun at Edison State Community College on Friday,
December 2nd, for the eleventh annual “We Are IT!” event. The daylong
program is designed to help boost interest of young women in the
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The event began with a keynote address from Shelley Thiebeau, a
registered nurse at Grandview Hospital. Thiebeau, an Edison State
graduate, spoke to the young ladies about how the principles of STEM
fields impact her career as a nurse.
“It’s really important that we get the next generation excited about
nursing because we are going to need a lot of nurses to replace current
nurses as they retire,” Thiebeau explained. “And the healthcare
community is growing due to an aging population.”
Thiebeau went on to explain the various types of career paths and areas
of healthcare students could pursue after receiving a college
education.
“So no matter what career path you choose, you are the future of
America,” added Thiebeau. “It’s important for you to get an education
because an education will stay with you your entire life. Once you get
a degree, nobody can take that away from you and it is not something
you can lose.”
Each of the girls chose three breakout sessions from a total of
thirteen different sessions offered. Topics of breakout sessions ranged
from crime scene investigation and computer hardware to human
simulation and robotics. During lunch, students had the opportunity to
network with area STEM professionals.
In addition to giving students a look at what they could do for a
living somewhere down the road, many of the day’s sessions focused on
topics that are relevant in their daily lives. A session titled, “Do I
really use this later?” discussed math and science in the workplace and
how things you learn now will help in the future.
To wrap up the day, students were encouraged to participate in an essay
contest. The theme of the essay asked students to describe how they
best embodied the characteristics of the event’s mascot, “Mitse” (Math,
Information Technology, Science, Engineering). A total of 78 students
entered the essay contest with the first place winner receiving a
laptop with accessories.
To further reinforce the use of technology, a selfie station was made
available to participants. Students had the opportunity to use their
smartphones to take pictures and share with fellow participants using a
hashtag on Instagram. At the end of the day, a selfie was selected at
random to receive a prize.
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