Gem Affair
by Hope Franklin, Restaurant Trades (Union) Class of 2025
Photos by Savannah Watkins, Health Assistant (Shenango) Class of 2025
Eight LCCTC Sophomore girls – Victoria Altman, Nadine Aquino, Lynnden Cummins, Hope Franklin, Zaroma Stanley, Kyla Vignovich, Savannah Watkins, Tristen Wojnarowski, and Lily Heaney – took advantage of the opportunity to go to Butler County Community College’s GEM Affair. GEM stands for Girls Engaging Mentors.
The girls were able to travel to several different rooms and speak with women who work in our community in many different STEAM fields. Some exciting careers included Police and State Troopers, Accountants, Healthcare workers and more!
Savannah Watkins, a sophomore in HA, got the opportunity to have some of her questions answered by healthcare professionals. She spoke with a local pharmacist who answered Savannah’s biggest questions: “How do I go about visiting different hospitals and pharmacies to job shadow?
After the event, Savannah commented, “It was cool to be able to talk to someone actually doing what I want to do.”
In the Nature and Wilderness room Victoria Altman, a sophomore in Welding, got to pet the fox fur. The Park Ranger showed us a few of the animal skins she brought in. Victoria saw the fox skin and instantly knew she wanted to see if it felt as soft as it looked. Once the Ranger was done Victoria was the first to ask to pet it, feeling bad for the fox but also loving the fur. Though she enjoys welding, she can’t help but admire this other industry. Perhaps in her spare time, she’ll pursue activities that will take her outside the welding booth.
Many of the Women who spoke emphasized that – even though the profession you are choosing may be mostly dominated by those of the opposite sex, as long as you go in ready to learn and do your job, the people you work for and with will have the utmost respect for you.
The entire experience was eye-opening and made each participant truly think about how difficult it may be to enter a field typically dominated by men. However, in the end, if we keep going, nothing can stop us.
