47 middle school students attend ‘Women Rock STEM’ event

Forty-seven girls from Penn Manor middle schools learned about STEM careers from two female professionals during the recent “Women Rock STEM” event at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

Thirty students from Manor and 17 from Marticville middle schools attended the March 2 program, which featured Christine Ferreira, a meteorologist at WGAL-TV, and guest speaker Andrea Shirk, general manager of Rock Lititz.

Shirk talked about her experiences working in live event production, a fast-paced and creative technology-oriented industry. After her talk, she fielded questions from students, who also learned about other careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

“Having women in the STEM field present to an all-female audience is super empowering,” said Lori Orihuel, a gifted support teacher at Marticville who accompanied the students.

“Young girls need to know they possess unique skills that are needed in STEM careers that only women can bring to the table,” she said. “It is also important for girls to know they can enter STEM fields after earning a 2 year degree from Thaddeus Stevens or other institution.”

Following the field trip, the students were encouraged to explore the Xello career exploration site to learn more about STEM careers.