Mar. 14, 2019 | Illahee Middle School | Charissa Eggleston
On March 14th, Federal Way Public Schools Illahee Middle School hosted their first IGNITE Panel! Thirty diverse young women were honored to have Venus and Mary come and share about their experiences being in STEM.
The girls were so inspired that both panelists to worked hard and made smart choices that got them where they are today. Both speakers shared about their journey to a career in STEM, and what has continually inspired them to keep growing and learning. The girls enjoyed listening to the challenges that each speaker has overcome, and what they learned. The group of girls started off quiet, but when the questions & answers portion of the event came around we couldn't keep them quiet because they had so many questions for the speakers!
This experience was so impactful, that some of the girls have requested another Panel and want to invite their friends to attend who did not get the chance this time.
Thank you, Venus and Mary, for inspiring the girls at Illahee Middle School with your stories!
Here's what the students enjoyed most:
"When they talked about starting your own business and taking challenging classes, inspired me to push myself and pursue what I believe in."
- 8th grade
"It made me wonder what it's like to be in STEM. It showed me a lot of life lessons."
- 8th grade
"I loved learning about the Panelists stories, and how they became successful."
- 8th grade
"Their determination was inspiring, it definitely encouraged me more to do what I want and show success in it. I wanted to thank you Mary and Venus for inspiring me."
- 8th grade
"I liked how honest their answers were and the reality of this. They both inspired me and made me realize race doesn't mean I can't be successful."
- 8th grade
"I enjoyed learning all this new information and advice. How hard they worked to get where they are today inspired me."
- 8th grade
"I enjoyed hearing about the experiences that the Panel had/went through. It inspired me to know that we can do anything."
- 8th grade
"I liked getting to talk to the speakers and getting good advice on what I want to do in my future."
- 8th grade
"I loved hearing about their personal lives and struggles as new graduates from HS. It made me inspired to get up and be productive and think I can go into that too."
- 8th grade
"I liked learning about the percentage of women in certain jobs, because it inspired me to encourage more girls to apply for STEM jobs and for me to think about working in that area."
- 8th grade
"Hearing how it's not hard to be in a STEM career. It inspired me to maybe push myself to experiment with different career paths."
- 8th grade