PBWC Online Newsletters

PBWC Highschool Program Focus Session

On January 21, PBWC conducted a Young Women's Focus Session with a group of high school girls to hear what suggestions and ideas they had in the area of conference tracks, speakers, and networking for the PBWC 2001 conference. The session was a great success, and some of the comments from students and counselors who attended are included below.

Student Report On Saturday, January 20, 2001, a group of High School girls and their mentors participated in a lively PBWC Focus group. We were helping to design a youth program for the conference in May. The day started with a wonderful introduction and fun icebreaker activities. We discussed the success of previous PBWC conferences and the aims of the upcoming one. We brainstormed as a group on topic we would like to address at the next conference. We narrowed the ideas to three themes. A delicious catered lunch was served and we went into one of the three groups of our choice to continue our planning. The group that I chose was the Career Path group and I enjoyed being a part of it. The day was very exciting and the sessions were dynamic. I felt terrific being a part of this focus group because I knew the voices of young teenage girls, like myself, were being heard. For us to be included in the activities of such a prestigious organization is thrilling. I look forward to the May conference with great anticipation. Roop Kalkat (student) Piedmont Hills High School

Compliments from a Counselor The meeting on Saturday was great! It was fascinating to find out what the young women were interested in. So many great ideas! On the way home, my students asked if the conference could be scheduled over two days so that they could get to everything. Perhaps handouts could be made available for the seminars so that if a student missed one, she could still get some of the information. From a teacher's perspective, it was also great to hear their ideas and suggestions. It will help me to better plan my curriculum. It also reinforced the importance of continuing our Academy's strong focus on "people skills". Many of the students at the session said that internships and interview skills were a top priority and wanted a strong focus on that area during the conference. It was eye-opening for my students since resume writing, interview skills, and "dress for success" are all covered extensively in our Academy program. They didn't realize that this is not an educational standard. Saturday was also a great networking opportunity for me. As always, I had the chance to meet many new people and make some new friends. As for the PBWC Conference in May, my students are already asking about it, hoping that they will be able to attend. t least that many. (Some of last year's students brought resumes, and a couple actually made connections for jobs. I was also shocked at the end of the day when students started handing me business cards of people they had talked to regarding mentoring. Three of the mentors I have working with students this year are a direct result of my girls' networking at the conference!) Thanks again for this great opportunity! Cheryl Lawton Milpitas High School Digital Business/Computer Academy