Latina girls, the fastest growing group of female students in the nation, face enormous challenges to their future prosperity. Nationwide an estimated 41 percent of Latinas fail to graduate high school. The employment picture for both dropouts and high school graduates remains bleak, with just 53 percent and 69 percent, respectively currently employed, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.
For many Latina girls a college degree, let alone a degree in sciences, might seem like something as far-fetched as Avatar. That was, until January 30, when 80 girls from DuPage area middle, junior and high schools came to Elmhurst College to participate in an educational event aimed at encouraging Latina students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
The “Dare to Dream” STEM conference grew out the “Dare to Dream: Get Educated!” event, hosted last year by the American Association of University Woman and held at Elmhurst, which focused on exposing 8th grade Latina girls and their mothers to the benefits of higher education. Some of those girls returned for the recent free conference, a joint venture between the AAUW and Elmhurst College.
Projected to be among the fastest growing occupations over the next decade, the real benefit of STEM careers, particularly in engineering and computer science, is that these fields offer well-paying jobs with just a bachelor’s degree. “A STEM degree can open so many doors,” said Linda Krause, coordinator of the STEM conference and director of the Master’s in Computer Information Systems program at Elmhurst. “I want women to know the wealth of options that are out there for them.”
More Here: Elmhurst College
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