We will be hosting our 30th Math/Science (STEM) Conference for 8th Grade Girls at Whittier College on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Marian Locke began this conference many years ago and it has been an annual event except for the covid years. There will be 400 students and advisors in attendance from area middle schools, and twenty STEM career women will bring them information which could help the students plan their future education path.
The speaker occupations are quite varied. We have a physical therapist, an interior designer, a global treasury executive, an archeologist, a psychology professor, a chemistry professor, an OB/GYN, a science teacher, a neonatal nurse, a food researcher, a police woman, a chemist, a vector ecologist, a director of product quality, a veterinarian, a game creator, a librarian, an epidemiologist, and a forensic assessor. Several of our speakers have been volunteering to do this for years, and we have a few new ones. The students are able to hear six of the speakers as I assign them to three workshops. The teacher advisors have the list of speaker biographies and the students will be making five choices which are then sent to me. They will be assigned to some of their favorites.
We need many volunteers to hold this event. Dolores Seidman is collecting the list of members who are willing to help that day from early morning to 12:45 PM. You are then invited to stay for lunch on the campus at Whittier College. Please read Dolores’s article in this newsletter and volunteer if you are able. It promises to be another wonderful day for the attendees and for our AAUW branch.
Our monthly branch meetings at First Friends Church have been going very well. I must commend Pat Dudley for chairing our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. She has helped us include DEI interactive items in our meetings which allow for wonderful discussions among the attendees. On November 9 we followed our activity with a marvelous presentation by Dr. Ninochka McTaggart, a DEI specialist. She commended us for our efforts. I would also like to thank our hospitality chair, Paula Ocampo, with all that she does to bring us a delicious continental breakfast at each meeting. Our new venue at First Friends Church is so comfortable and Paula and her committee make each meeting very welcoming.
Please join us at 2:00 PM on Saturday, December 14 as we celebrate holidays around the world, and hear about the Women and Children’s Crisis Center. Please bring a gift card for the Crisis Center if you are able. Our menu when you arrive for social time at 2:00 PM will contain some surprises. We hope to see you there.
