Case Study: girlsBEST

Since the launch of girlsBEST in 2002, the Women’s Foundation has seen that alumnae of the program are motivated to pursue post-secondary education and obtain stable, lucrative, and fulfilling jobs. “They recognize that a degree will open doors to careers, economic well-being, and a chance to make a difference in the world,” said Jess Kubis, Women’s Foundation Project Development Manager. WFMN has also established partnerships with community, technical and tribal colleges in Minnesota to support various credentialing programs that lead to increased job opportunities for women.  By investing in women and girls now, communities will benefit from intellectual and social capital in the future. These women will become entrepreneurs, job creators, mentors, and social change agents that communities need to thrive. Women given the opportunity to succeed become highly motivated to give back to their community to ensure that other girls have this same chance.

girlsBEST focuses a portion of its work on girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers in northeast Minnesota that includes a partnership with a unique engineering degree program at a community college.  “Heather (name has been changed to protect privacy) was a good student who did well in her classes and especially loved math. Her physics teacher, who had been encouraging her to pursue a career in engineering, told her about the Range Engineering Council’s Engineering Mentor Night at a local community college called Iron Range Engineering (IRE) program. IRE is a project based four-year degree program accredited through Minnesota State University, Mankato and located in Virginia, Minnesota. It’s a unique collaboration between Mesabi Range College, Itasca Community College, and Minnesota State University, Mankato. Students graduate with a B.S. in Engineering, with a focus area of their choice. The free mentor night introduces high school girls in grades 10-12 to engineering. Even though Heather was a bit shy she decided to attend the event and loved hearing female engineers talk about their work. She was inspired by the different options for getting an engineering degree and knew this was something she wanted to pursue. Heather returned home and made the decision to become an engineer student at IRE. She is now a sophomore, still friends with the same people she met that very first night at Engineering Mentor Night and says she still wakes up excited to go to school every morning.”