TheBuzz
TheBuzz
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One of the most over-used platitudes perhaps of all-time, informs us that "children are our future." Walking the walk
for our ‘future’Well, duh.
An organization that goes beyond talking the talk by preparing said children for said future is the Girl Scout Council of Hawaii.
The council just wrapped up its 13th annual career mentoring conference, which paired 91 girls with female mentors in various fields.
Teaming for Tomorrow was started by "community-minded people involved in the Girl Scouts (who) felt that this type of mentoring program for high school girls would be very helpful," Program Coordinator Rhoda James said.
The program is offered "through every public, private and parochial school in the state through its counseling office," she said, and since 1990 some 1,500 girls have received first-hand exposure to career options. Financial aid is available to help neighbor island students with transportation costs; the Hilton Hawaiian Village makes an in-kind donation of accommodations for participants and chaperones.
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"We encourage the girls to explore career options they hadn't thought of or had preconceived notions about," James said, in part to break down any perceived gender barriers.As a result, some girls have expressed interest in shadowing a coroner, James said.
More common requests involve work with animals, from being a zookeeper to marine biology; many girls seek to explore careers in the military, fine arts, law, law enforcement and hospitality, she said.
The technology sector is underrepresented right now, James said. "That's a challenging area."
She estimates it may take a bit longer for more women to establish themselves to a point where they can turn around and share their experiences.
An always-dominant field is medicine. "We have many requests for everything in the medical field you can think of," James said.
A case in point is Waiakea High School sophomore Anne Matsusaka, who was paired with ophthalmologist Tyrie Jenkins.
On Monday, trainers prepared Matsusaka and other participants for meeting their mentors at dinner that night.
"They make you realize how special you are, how each individual is different -- it's sort of like a self-esteem boost sort of thing," she said, designed to give the girls confidence and prevent shyness once the introductions were made.
Matsusaka spent yesterday morning at Jenkins' office, seeing patients and observing surgery at the Laser Institute of Hawaii.
Inspired by her own two operations for "lazy eye" in the fourth-grade, she wasn't grossed-out, she said. "I'm kind of excited." Her only family member remotely connected to medicine is a great uncle in California who works as a forensic pathologist.
A highlight for Matsusaka yesterday was peering through ophthalmological equipment to "look at the eye and the pupils of a person," she said.
Matsusaka was impressed by the feedback Jenkins received from her patients. "They tell her she's a great doctor and they all told me how lucky I was to be able to shadow her," she said.
With a mentor participation cost of $75, it's a rewarding experience for Jenkins as well, now for the second year.
"It helps me re-examine why I'm a doctor and why I do what I do," she said. "Presenting my profession to her reaffirms my enjoyment of my profession."
"It was inspirational to see someone so motivated in the 10th grade," Jenkins said, noting that Matsusaka's enthusiasm did not appear to be dimmed by reality.
"I'm only in high school but I get to experience all these different things," said Matsusaka.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com