Program returns to Lawrence High School on Saturday.
By: Lea Kahn
Teacher, secretary, nurse those are the careers that many girls have previously been encouraged to pursue, assuming they even wanted a job outside of the home. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and organizers of township program want girls to know a woman can become a construction site superintendent, a museum curator or an engineer.
That’s the message the organizers of the third annual "What’s Next" program for girls hope to convey to the 150 high schoolers who have signed up for the program at Lawrence High School Saturday morning.
"The girls in town need to hear from women about life’s choices and how their lives unfolded," said Pam Mount, a member of the Lawrence Women’s Task Force. The group will sponsor the event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Following the registration period, the girls will listen to keynote speaker Pamela Pruitt. She is the vice president for business development at Trenton radio station WIMG AM 1300.
Ms. Pruitt traveled a circuitous route to her present position. She began her career as a lyricist for Motown Records in Detroit, Mich. She worked as the assistant to the director of casting at CBS Television and then spent 18 years in marketing, sales and training at Delta Airlines, before returning to the entertainment industry at ABC Radio Networks Inc. in Dallas, Texas.
After the keynote speaker finishes her presentation, the girls may choose from a number of panel discussions that range from "Arts" to "Dressing for Success" to "Travel Industry," "Women in Uniform" and "Working With Children." They may attend two panel discussions.
In those panel discussions, the girls will have a chance to ask the women how they arrived at their career choices. They will have an opportunity to meet a graphic artist, a museum curator, a hotel hospitality manager, a maritime engineer and an occupational therapist who works with young children.
The girls will be served lunch in the Lawrence High School cafeteria and also be treated to a fashion show. Free makeup kits will be distributed, compliments of Estee Lauder, Ms. Mount said.
"A lot of girls get advice from their guidance counselor ‘decide what you want to do, go to school and your life is made,’" Ms. Mount said. "Our message is, ‘Be true to yourself, take advantage of all opportunities that come your way and things will work out.’"
The Lawrence Women’s Task Force also wants to let the girls know that they are as capable as anyone else, she said. The girls have to be ready to seize any opportunities that come their way that’s the way to succeed, she added.
"A lot of women say, ‘I can’t do that.’ They settle. No guy would ever say that," Ms. Mount said, adding that it is important to develop skills and be ready to use them. Life is not as simple as getting married and having a family today, she said.
There is still time to sign up for "What’s Next," Ms. Mount said. Participants are encouraged to sign up by Friday at the LHS office. It is also possible to sign up on the morning of the event at the high school, she added.