Girls of Promise Conference
| From: Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 8:15 am To: Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 3:30 pm | < Previous Page |
ASU-Jonesboro:
Girls of Promise Conference to be held at Arkansas State University on April 2 http://www.womensfoundationarkansas.org/GirlsofPromise.html
The Girls of Promise ASU Chapter is presenting the eighth annual Girls of Promise conference on Saturday, April 2, from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The event will be held in the Arkansas State University Student Union, 101 N. Caraway Road, Jonesboro.
At the conference, Arkansas girls in the eighth grade will hear from keynote speaker Sarah Tipton, meteorologist at television station KAIT8.
Break-out session speakers include Dr. Tanja McKay, entomologist; Dr. Cynthia Miller, nano-technologist; andMs. Lisa Ellington, environmental services manager at the Paragould waste water treatment plant as well as other presenters.
Girls of Promise conferences encourage girls to pursue academic excellence in their high school and college years. Attendees are able to meet other girls likethemselves and realize that it's acceptable to be a bright, motivated girl with big dreams.
Every year at Girls of Promise conferences, Arkansas eighth-graders meet and learn from women with notable careers, such as scientists, astronauts, physicians,computer systems engineers and others. In 2000, the Women's Foundation of Arkansas created the Girls of Promise initiative to introduce young women across the state to information about careers in areas related to math, science, and technology while giving them the opportunity to meet with female professionals for greater understanding of their own potential.
The day-long conferences also help the Women's Foundation of Arkansas achieve its mission of "promoting philanthropy among women and helping women and girls achieve their full potential" by providing inspiration to young girls to expand their understanding of their own power and possibilities. Through participation in Girls of Promise programs, young women begin to believe they can be and do anything.
"Education plays a particularly important role as a foundation for girls' development towards adult life," says Dr. Natalie Johnson-Leslie, ASU committeechair. Dr. Johnson-Leslie is an assistant professor of teacher education at Arkansas State University and co-author of the book, "The ABC's of Surviving School Violence."
The Girls of Promise initiative began at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock and has expanded to include Arkansas State University-Jonesboro, Arkansas Tech, Harding University, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and South Arkansas Community College.The Women's Foundation of Arkansas was established in 1998 by a key group of prominent Arkansas women to create a charitable fund dedicated to investing in projects benefitting women and girls in this state.
One hundred women donating$1,000 each raised the initial $100,000 used to create an endowment fund with the Arkansas Community Foundation to ensure a perpetual source of grant-making funds.
The Women's Foundation of Arkansas is the only not-for-profit, statewideorganization with the sole focus of developing the professional, economic, and philanthropic potential of Arkansas women and girls by ensuring they have thenecessary resources, tools and knowledge to reach their full potential.Registration information can be found at the website http://www.womensfoundationarkansas.org/GoP_Registration.html (complete the first three options).
For more information on the ASU-Jonesboro chapter of Girls of Promise and the upcoming conference, contact Dr. Natalie Johnson-Leslie, Teacher Education Department at Arkansas State University, by e-mail at njohnson@astate.edu or call870-972-3947.