By Yvette tenBerge
Questions from 43 excited fifth-grade
girls and answers from 10 "mentors" filled down-town's
Old Spaghetti Factory on the afternoon of Wednesday, December
19, as the fifth annual San Diego Youth & Community Services
and Sherman Elementary "Mariposas" group luncheon got
underway.
In an effort to promote their program goals of encouraging
self-esteem and self-awareness, and as a way to introduce the
10 and 11 year-old girls to future career opportunities, Mariposas
recruited 10 professional local women to share their educational,
career and life experiences and to act as mentors throughout the
year.
Ana Nicasio is the Project Coordinator with San Diego Youth
& Community Services who organized the event. "Our goal
is for these girls to be able to learn about different types of
careers. We want to open them up and make them realize that there
is more out there than just teachers and counselors," says
Ms. Nicasio, who explains that these are the only two professions
to which most of these young women are ever exposed. "At
events like this, we introduce the girls to news directors, journalists,
scientists and much more."
Among the mentors who volunteered their time were Newscaster Claudia Llausas of Univisión, Research Assistant Isabel Cisneros of Digital Gene Technology, Entertainer Margaret Skube and Journalist Yvette tenBerge of La Prensa San Diego.
Return
to the Frontpage