Approximately 30 Lynwood Unified students attended El Camino College’s Girls in Technology Conference, where they explored the benefits of pursuing educational paths in non-traditional careers in technical services.
Designed to introduce women and girls to careers conventionally dominated by men – including emergency medical services, fire technology and engineering/aerospace machining – students from Lynwood, Firebaugh and Vista high schools participated in interactive hands-on workshops where they learned more about each field of study.
“We want girls to know that there are no limitations to what they can do and what careers they can pursue,” said LUSD Board of Education President Briseida Gonzalez. “Historically, men have been the face of these technical jobs, but that is changing rapidly and there are many successful women out there proving it every day.”
The conference, held May 2, included guest panelist Capt. Sheila Hopper of the Compton Fire Department, who became the department’s first African-American female firefighter when she was hired in 1986.
The panel, moderated by Director of Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER), Alejandra Torres, included several women working in technical careers.
Other careers that were showcased included welding, computer technology, ventilation and air conditioning, business and robotics, among others. Students also had the opportunity to work with a variety of power and hand tools and participate in a jobs and resource fair.
“One of our District’s goals is to provide students with real-world opportunities and expose them to a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, high-demand career pathways,” said LUSD Superintendent Paul Gothold. “It is important to empower students to take the future into their own hands and this program is one way to do that.”
The conference was sponsored by the ECC Compton Center’s Career and Technical Education Division, Career Pathways, Air Conditioning/Icebreakers Club, Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER), R.E. Michel Company and Women in Technology (WIT), among others.
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