“I feel inspired by being here – inspired to do something I didn’t know I could do.”
Those words, spoken by Cheyenne Bristol, seemed to be the overall sentiment of students attending the 2019 Expanding Your Horizons Conference at North Platte Community College on Tuesday.
Bristol is a sixth grader at Madison Middle School in North Platte. She was one of 335 girls from 17 area middle schools who participated in the conference this year.
“It’s the largest turnout we’ve ever had,” said Becky Barner, area career coach for the college. “Expanding Your Horizons is actually a national organization that encourages young women to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NPCC is the only place in Nebraska that hosts an EYH conference. Our goal is to introduce these students to careers they hadn’t thought of before.”
Each participant could attend up to three workshops. Tourism, banking, meteorology, beef cattle research, veterinary technology, engineering, horticulture and architecture were just some of the subjects they could learn about.
The girls operated robots in a robotics class, learned CPR in a fire and emergency services session, participated in a beetle tractor pull in an entomology workshop and watched deputies shoot a Taser during a law enforcement demonstration. The majority of the workshops were taught by women.
“That’s part of what is so cool about this conference,” said Jordan Jenik, an eighth grader at Adams Middle School in North Platte. “I thought a lot of these professions were only for men, but women are actually out there, in the field, doing amazing things. I’ve learned about careers I probably never would have considered if not for these workshops. Robotics is one of them.”
Engineering was another. The instructor for that workshop was also the keynote speaker, Heidi Elliott, an energy educator for the Nebraska Public Power District.
She brought virtual reality headsets for the students to play with, but her message was serious. Elliott encouraged all of the girls to think about their potential, take opportunities, unleash their “stick-with-it-ness” and draw on experiences and resources.
“You could be innovative,” Elliott told participants. “You could be the next engineer. You could be leading the way in medicine. You have the power. Remember your potential and what you can do.”
Schools attending the conference included: Adams, Madison, Our Redeemer Lutheran and St. Pat’s in North Platte; Broken Bow; Eustis-Farnam; Gothenburg; Hershey; Maxwell; McCook; McPherson County; Mullen; Ogallala; Paxton; South Platte; Sutherland and Wallace.
Lunch was provided by Equitable Bank.
