RIT Welcomes High School Women to "Faces of Change" Conference, April 26

Conference to talk about careers in math, science, engineering and technology

Young women are underrepresented in key career areas such as technology, science, math and engineering. To help young women explore careers in these fields, Rochester Institute of Technology hosts "Faces of Change," a one-day program designed specifically for teenage women interested in learning about a wide range of careers from female professionals.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, high school females will come to RIT for presentations and exhibits. This year’s conference begins with a welcome from RIT President Albert Simone and Sen. James Alesi, who has been instrumental in securing grants from New York state for the conference.

The keynote address will be presented by Mary-Frances Winters, president and founder of The Winters Group, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in research, strategic planning, training and public speaking with emphasis in ethnic and multicultural issues. Prior to founding The Winters Group in 1984, she was affirmative action officer and senior market analyst at Eastman Kodak Co. Winters also served as RIT’s 1994-95 Distinguished Minett Professor where she taught a leadership course at the graduate level.

The rest of the day is dedicated to sessions such as Medicine and More, Info Age, What’s Engineering?, Manufacturing is Making It, Sight and Sound, BYOB (Bring Your Own Beaker), The Art of Science and From the Ground Up. Other sessions are designed to help young women identify career interests and enhance self-esteem.

Maureen Arquette and Maria Pagani Wiegand, program coordinators for RIT’s Cooperative Education and Career Services Office, are the conference organizers. "We’re excited about offering this successful event again this year. Past participants have been very appreciative of the opportunity to hear about exciting careers that tap into their interest in math, engineering, science and technology. The panelists offer excellent insight and encouragement as role models to these young women," says Arquette.

This is the sixth Faces of Change conference. The first, in 1993, received an Initiative for Equity Award from the New York Division of the American Association of University Women.