Call us today: 708-425-9080
Meyer Tool Participates in Girls STEAM Ahead Event
|
April 9, 2019
|
|
Meyer Tool President, Eileen Cunningham, participated in the third-annual Girls STEAM Ahead event held on the morning of March 2, 2019 at Idlewood Country Club in Flossmoor, Illinois. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to mentor a diverse group of young women as an advocate of careers related to engineering and manufacturing. At Meyer Tool, we are dedicated to making an impact on the world around us by participating in events that promote engineering and manufacturing careers to the next generation.
|
|
|
Girls STEAM Ahead is an annual, free roundtable luncheon that connects 7th through 12th grade girls with professional women in diverse STEAM fields – (science, technology, engineering, art and math). Girls build networking, goal setting, and communication skills with the guidance and mentorship of professional women in STEAM. “Girls STEAM Ahead is designed to support young women who have traditionally been underrepresented in STEAM education and careers, so they will persist in their goals,” explains Homewood Science Center’s Executive Director, Edie Dobrez.
|
The event commenced with showcasing professional projects by women of varying backgrounds in STEAM. Girls acquainted themselves with a wide variety of career options in these fields. Next, keynote speaker – Vicki Repsholdt – Vice President of Marketing for the U.S. Power division of Schneider Electric shared her story, describing critical decisions throughout her early years that contributed to her success. Attendees also participated in a hands-on engineering design challenge and concluded the day with panel question-and-answer sessions that were focused on actionable steps to become a future leader.
|
|
Eileen, Meyer Tool’s second-generation business leader, believes that preparing young women for careers in steam begins by introducing them to the wide array of opportunities and varied career paths they may not even know exist. Eileen states, “The manufacturing world is traditionally a male-dominated environment and, despite our family business, I did not envision myself taking an active role when I started my own career journey. Today, I feel incredibly blessed to be involved in an industry that changes the shape of the world by turning ideas into reality. It’s quite a rush! I hope to raise awareness that women, too, can enjoy these fulfilling careers.”
|
|
Connecting young women with those who already excel in manufacturing and other STEAM fields is a hands-on way of seeing they, too, can be successful in these careers. Eileen values the opportunity to mentor the next generation. “It was my great honor and privilege to meet these bright, enthusiastic, young women,” she said. “They asked great questions about how to pursue these careers, and what important building blocks they should strive to achieve to be successful in their pursuit. Most of them know what high school coursework is required. I commend them on also seeking connections with females active in STEAM to better understand both their wide range of options, and the day-to-day reality of careers that pique their interest.”
At Meyer Tool, we take great pride in being a second-generation, woman-owned small business dedicated to servicing research and industrial based customers around the world for the last 50 years. As such, we place great importance in communicating the benefits of manufacturing careers to all who will listen. An event like Girls STEAM Ahead provides invaluable first-hand experience to the world’s next generation of women-leaders, helping them find and pursue their passions, with the belief there are no limits to what they can achieve!
At Meyer Tool, we take great pride in being a second-generation, woman-owned small business dedicated to servicing research and industrial based customers around the world for the last 50 years. As such, we place great importance in communicating the benefits of manufacturing careers to all who will listen. An event like Girls STEAM Ahead provides invaluable first-hand experience to the world’s next generation of women-leaders, helping them find and pursue their passions, with the belief there are no limits to what they can achieve!
Image credits - Homewood Science Center
