Dear Friends and Supporters,
Well, we sure have had an exciting first half of 2008! Our new Executive Director, Eliana Godoy, came on board in February and hit the ground running by recruiting a fantastic group of 2008 volunteer panelists and running an innovative and responsive workshop series. A special thanks to our volunteer panelists and Satellite Academy teachers and staff – including Ingrid Roberts-Haynes, Robin Witherspoon-Gill, Karyn Eaves and Geraldine Deleon - all of whom devoted their energy and care to ensuring that GCW has a significant positive impact on our girls’ lives.
First, I’d like to highlight a two new initiatives: the GCW Women’s Network and the Girls Career Shadow Program. Along with hosting gatherings and events for women throughout the year - like the private tour of the Whitney Biennial we hosted in April - we have launched an online Women’s Network with the purpose of engaging and connecting professional women in NYC. Please sign up by sending an email to: girlscareerworkshopnetwork-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. We also launched a pilot career-shadowing program this spring which, by all accounts, has been a big success. We intend to continue building this component of our programming in the future. Thanks to Dawn Henning and the HydroQual staff, Tanisha Christie, Amy Andrieux, Antoinette Kirwan, Leticia Evans for signing up and providing girls with access to life on the job.
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Girls at Satellite Queens show off their
GCW program completion certificates. |
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Christina Baute, Graphic Designer, explains
the use of technology in art design at the
Science and Technology Workshop. |
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Maria Motta, New York University Nursing Student, shares information about
scholarships and the college experience. |
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Second, I want to officially welcome and introduce the four dynamic women who recently joined the GCW Board of Directors: Amy Bieberdorf, Briana Collins, Paula Heitman and Leah Ramella.
Each brings different yet complementary skills and expertise to GCW.
Amy is a project leader in the Consumer and Retail Practice at Boston Consulting Group. Briana is the Executive Director of Mayor Bloomberg’s Commission on Women. Paula is the Program Coordinator for The Warren Street Center, responsible for all aspects of this after-school program in Brooklyn. Leah is currently a business strategy consultant and has a long track record on the business side of film, theatre and media.
We are thrilled to start working with you all.
On behalf of the Board, I cannot stress enough our gratitude to each of you who have supported us by attending events, volunteering and making generous donations. We will be in touch soon with details on our fall fundraiser – brought to you by our illustrious GCW Events Committee, Paula Heitman, Laura Rubin, Nora Carlson, Heather McElrath, Brooke Phillips and Sheela Feinberg.
We look forward to seeing you all very soon.
All the best,
Erica Wax |
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Our Workshops:
Close to thirty women in the fields of law, business, fashion, science, technology, health and media volunteered for this year’s workshops. They talked about their professional journeys, shared their challenges and achievements and offered valuable advice about their fields and the workforce. The workshops were held during the course of the second school semester at Satellite Academy. Students from both Queens and Manhattan Satellite attended the workshops.
Our girls got a chance to meet women at various stages in their careers, like Maria Motta, a 19 year old Nursing student, Juanita Cruz Cataquet, a Legal Aid Society Case Handler, and Logan Nakyanzi Pollard, a radio Executive Producer. In addition to learning about career options and connecting with professional women, our girls obtained information about colleges, internships, scholarships and other resources to tap into when pursuing education after high school. Unique this year is that our girls facilitated the workshops and were involved in all aspects of running them. |
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Juanita Cruz Cataquet, Legal
Aid
Society Case Handler, shares her background
at the law workshop.
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Shawna Unger, Manager of the Electronic
Design and Production Department at the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Solutions Group, Aurora Anaya, Casa Azul Bookstore Owner,
and Clara Rodriguez, Marketing and Business Development Manager at Orrick,
prepare for the Business Workshop.
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Gaby and Peaches
help to distribute the nametags. |
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New! Women’s Network:
GCW started an online network of professional women to provide a support system for women of all ages and the opportunity to mentor, learn and exchange information. Through this network women can share, connect with other women, obtain career guidance, find resources and services, obtain referrals, exchange ideas, promote their businesses, post opportunities for jobs, fellowships and scholarships and well, simply just network. If you are interested in joining please send an email to: girlscareerworkshopnetwork-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
And for more information contact Eliana at eliana@girlscareerworkshop.org |
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New! Girls Career Shadow:
“…we were extremely impressed and enjoyed having Amada visit. Her enthusiasm and drive (along with intelligence) are sure to bring her great things throughout her life. I hope that she got something out of meeting us and would like her to know that if she ever needs anything (including an internship or even just to talk), feel free to contact us.”
– Dawn Henning, Environmental Engineer
Established in collaboration with our network of women, this pilot program provides girls with the opportunity to experience first hand what it is like to be out there in the workforce. By shadowing women who work in the field of their choice, girls learn more about the industry, explore career options available to them and identify skills and education they need to pursue in order to succeed.
Our students were hosted by companies such as HydroQual and Hachette Book Group USA / Grand Central Publishing where they spent an afternoon learning from other women. If you or your company would like to participate please email eliana@girlscareerworkshop.org. |
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Field Trip:
Chef Nikki, featured in last season’s Top Chef Chicago, invited the girls to her restaurant, 24 Prince www.24prince.com. An entrepreneur, a chef, a nutritionist and a sommelier, Chef Nikki shared her experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry and talked about the importance of health and nutrition. She delighted the girls with an amazing salad and a nutritious dessert. She also talked about her experience on television.
Thank you Chef Nikki for taking the time to talk to us about the restaurant field and sharing food from your famous kitchen! |
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Chef Nikki, Owner of 24 Prince Restaurant,
shares an amazing summer salad with our girls.
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT |
Born in Mexico City, Deycy Avitia immigrated to Los Angeles, California, as a teenager to reunite with her mother. Ms. Avitia is the first in her family to attend college. Deycy obtained her B.A. summa cum laude in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles and holds an Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she also served as a research assistant for the Harvard Civil Rights Project. |
Deycy Avitia, Coordinator of Education
Advocacy at the New York Immigration
Coalition, talks to the girls about her
professional journey. |
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Deycy is the Coordinator of Education Advocacy for the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC). She engages in budget and legislative advocacy at the state and city level in education policy areas, representing the interests of migrant youth and English language learner students. Deycy coordinates the English Language Learner (ELL) Education Reform Taskforce and the Equity Monitoring Project for Immigrant and Refugee Education (EMPIRE). Deycy is also actively involved in the East Harlem community, where she lives. She serves on the board of Violence Intervention Program (VIP), a nationally recognized Latina organization dedicated to ending violence in the lives of women. Deycy is also a volunteer for the Art Belongs to Everyone program within Art for Change, which exhibits contemporary artists of diverse cultural backgrounds who use art as a tool for progressive social change. |
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GIRLS SPOTLIGHT |
Amada Gonzalez, 18 years old, introduced herself as someone who will end global warming. After spending time with her throughout the course of the GCW program, we believe her! She has taken a leadership role in helping to facilitate the workshops, was always present at our sessions and was always the first one to ask questions. As she dreams of being an environmental engineer, GCW sent her to HydroQual to shadow Dawn Henning, an environmental engineer. Kudos to Dawn who hosted Amada, gave her an overview of the field, and introduced her to three other environmental engineers representing various parts of the field. Here is what Amada had to say about her experience:
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Photographer Leticia Perlestine and students Amada Gonzalez and Moet Gall at the
Science and Technology workshop.
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“The trip to meet the environmental scientists was amazing! it opened my eyes so much and pushed me towards my goal to become one even more. I met four women environmentalists... They worked in different fields, such as working with water treatments in NYC and abroad, building water systems in which it benefits the people as much as the environment. It was really mind-opening, they all had a lot of interesting information I didn’t know before, and of course, I asked a lot of questions and they were all happy to answer all of them.
They also showed me physical work they were working on, such as plans and blueprints. I didn’t know I had to draw so many blue prints. They also talked to me about what an environmental engineer has to go through with permits and different kinds of processing materials. It was towards the end that I asked how each of them got to the position they are now, and they mentioned a number of tests I have to take in college that can greatly boost my career. I couldn't stop taking notes on that part.
While I was spending time with the environmentalists, I felt as if they knew how I was feeling: overjoyed for being there with them, because I was actually spending time with my future - who I wanted to be - and I think they actually felt happy with themselves because they were helping me get there.
They all gave me their business cards and told me to give them a call when I start college so they can tell me about some internships they know about, or any help in general. They all knew I was going to make it and accomplish my goals, because they saw my ambition and dedication to become and environmental scientist.
Above all I want to thank GCW for giving me the opportunity to meet the women working in so many different fields out there, it opened my eyes a lot about opportunities for women and the ability to be successful in various careers. Thank you so much for helping not just me but all the girls in the Girls Career Workshop, I’m sure they are thankful as well.”
-Amada. |
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EVENTS |
Details on Our Fall Event will be Coming Soon! |
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GET INVOLVED |
The girls in our program are often the first in their families to envision college as a next step after high school.
By assisting them to navigate the college application process, exposing them to a wide range of career possibilities, connecting them with positive role models, providing useful information about the realities of the workforce, and teaching them revelant skills like resume writing and interviewing, Girls Career Workshop hopes girls can continue their education, make informed decisions and achieve economic independence.
You can help too!
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Yadusha shows the sample panelists
questions at the Media Workshop.
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Be A Volunteer Panelist:
As a Panelist you will participate in workshops where you can share your experience in your field and what it’s really like out there in the working world. As a Panelist, you’ll have the chance to discuss your career path and the educational opportunities that got you where you are today.
You will also have the opportunity to welcome girls into your working lives through the Girls Career Shadow Program, providing them with an opportunity to see what you actually do at work. Email eliana@girlscareerworkshop.org for more info. |
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Become Our Sponsor:
There are many ways in which you or your company can become a sponsor. You can sponsor our programs directly or sponsor our yearly Fall Event. We are currently looking for restaurants, wine companies, a venue and corporate sponsors for our Fall Event, which will be held in October. Email eliana@girlscareerworkshop.org for more info. |
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DONATE |
Sincere McMillan, Registered Nurse, shows Sucheila King how to use the reflex
hammer at the Health workshop. |
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It’s now easy and safe to make a donation on-line through New York Charities.
Every little bit helps us achieve our goals.
And, if your company encourages philanthropy, they may match your contribution.
Talk to your human resources office to find out if this benefit is available at your workplace!
Click here to make a |
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