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November 16, 2009

Program aims to open up worlds

Girls get lessons in non-traditional career choices

By LISA PERKINS

TRAVERSE CITY -- Tenth-grade girls were given the opportunity to learn about careers that they may have never considered before when they attended GirlTECH last week.

GirlTECH, now in its eighth year, was developed to encourage high school girls, enrolled in any Traverse Bay Intermediate School District schools, to consider non-traditional careers or careers in which women comprise 25 percent or less of the workforce.

"These girls are getting to the point when they are shopping for careers, sorting through what they want to do and what they don't want to do," said Barb Hackney, a career specialist who attended the event with sophomore girls from Traverse City Central High School.

Speakers included a funeral director, pilot and NMC flight instructor, engineer, paramedic, entrepreneur, Michigan State Police K-9 officer, heavy equipment mechanic, Northwestern Michigan College Water Studies Institute instructor and Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets.

"This is probably the best place to learn about so many non-traditional careers in one place, to be able to meet these women and actually hear them speak about their careers," said Elizabeth Stevens, NMC admissions specialist and co-chair of the event sponsored by Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse Bay Area Career-Tech Center, Benzie Area Zonta Club and the Zonta Club of Leelanau County.

"We hope that these girls will consider something outside of the norm when they are thinking about careers," Stevens said.

Kelly Send, a student at Traverse City Christian School, says she has always been fascinated by flying but had never actually considered it as a career.

"Today I learned about all of the travel and places you could go and visit as a pilot. It sounds like a great career," Send said.

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