女毕业生开始 女人帮助女人 奖学金
九个凯特琳校友 are doing their part to pave the way for future generations of women to enter the STEM world.
“It’s really about giving back. How do you get more young women in STEM, in the sciences?” said Sandra Dietrich (’87, IE). “A lot of these ladies that are doing this with me, that’s what we’ve spent our careers doing. It’s about bringing up that next generation and giving these young women mentors w在这里 we didn’t really have any.”
Dietrich has been working with the University to start this scholarship for at least a year. She reached out and asked the other women for their help — and that’s how the $25,000 女人帮助女人 endowment was born.
“$25,000似乎是一大笔钱, but when I pitched it to my friends, 我说, ‘嘿, if you give $500 a year for five years and t在这里’s 10 of us, 这是我们的禀赋,’”迪特里希说.
The nine women involved include her sister and fellow members of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority. A 10th woman is helping, too, but she isn’t an alumna. She does, however, have a special connection to Dietrich and education — her mother, Jeanette Hill.
“My mom heard me talk about this and said she wanted to be a part of it,” Dietrich said. “她当过老师, and she was very proud of my sister and I coming 在这里 and being engineers, and it was important for her as well to give back, 尤其是当老师.”
Hill said she believes in giving back and hopes the scholarship will “help other women attend who might not have been able to go.”
Stephanie Luke (’87, EE) feels the same way.
“I see a great need for women in technical fields,” she said. “This was a way to give back and help someone that is driven to succeed but may need a helping hand.”
Others also see the benefits for not only the women but also the industry.
“I’ve worked in male-dominated industries my entire career, and I see some of the blind spots and groupthink that occurs,克尔斯滕·比尔哈特(96届)说, IE). “更多的女性, as well as more diversity in other forms, will lead to different perspectives and questions that propel knowledge forward.”
The women said they hope alleviating some of the financial burden will encourage other young women to consider engineering.
“This is a great time to be in engineering and be female — t在这里 is nothing to hold you back,达琳·迪恩(1988年)说, IE). “My advice: Take your seat at the table! Take the opportunity to do something different; work overseas, 在工厂工作, and don’t be afraid to take risks.”
For Dietrich, the sky is the limit.
“This $25,000 is just the beginning,” she said. “As others contribute, it means helping more young women.”
To make a gift to the 女人帮助女人 奖学金, contact the Office of Gift Planning at (800) 955-4464, ext. 9746年,电子邮件 giftplan@0933282516.com 或者做出贡献 在这里.
$20,200,804
捐赠
More than 1,980 alumni and friends gave in support of Kettering students for a 2.7% increase in dollars contributed.
