As their year-long 150th anniversary celebration continues, the Fox Cities Chamber achieved their goal of hosting a record 150 girls from 18 different schools at their recent Smart Girls Rock! event for middle and high school age girls interested in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) careers.
The goal of the event, held this year at Miller Electric, is to inspire more young women to engage in local STEAM programs. The day-long, interactive mentoring event includes a diverse lineup of participants with the hopes of fostering meaningful interactions and inspiring the next generation of female leaders to pursue careers in STEAM fields.
“These girls have the chance to make a real difference and bring meaningful change to their future workplaces,” said Karena Dyer of Miller Electric, the host company. “One of our employees attended the very first Smart Girls Rock! event eight years ago, arranged a job shadow with us afterward, which led to an internship and eventually a job here at Miller. This year, she’s come full circle, returning as a mentor at the event.”
Participating companies were (*denotes station sponsor company):
- Science
- Nutritional Healing
- Encapsys*
- Galloway Company*
- Technology
- Plexus Corp.*
- The Boldt Company
- Gulfstream Aerospace*
- Engineering
- McMahon
- Miller Electric
- Miron Construction
- Art
- Fox Cities Performint Arts Center
- Pierce Manufacturing
- Math
- Walbec Group*
- The Wandering Table
- Faith Technologies Incorporated
Participating schools included:
- Stockbridge
- Menasha
- Winneconne
- Little Chute
- Brillion
- Chilton
- Hilbert
- St. Mary Catholic
- Neenah
- Freedom
- Appleton North
- Kaukauna
- Appleton West
- Kimberly
- Wrightstown
- Appleton East
- Homeschool
- Fox Valley Lutheran
Interactive activities included welding, graphic design, “concrete“ mixing, building planes out of recyclable materials, encapsulation, body composition testing, and so much more. The day also included lunch, door prizes, and presentations from sponsor companies.
Events like these would not be possible without the support of sponsors – sponsors for this event were: Miller Electric (Host Sponsor); The Boldt Company (Presenting Sponsor); Faith Technogies Incorporated (Bag Sponsor); Gulfstream Aerospace, Jewelers Mutual, McMahon, Miron Construction, Appleton Education Foundation (Student Sponsors); Ballard Glenn, Women’s Fund of the Fox Valley Region (Door Prize Sponsors), and Fox Valley Technical College (In-kind Sponsor).
About the Fox Cities Chamber
Founded in 1874, the Fox Cities Chamber is a nonprofit membership organization that unites the regional business community for greater economic impact. Serving Outagamie, Calumet, and northern Winnebago Counties, the Fox Cities Chamber is the second largest Chamber in the state. Our organization proudly captures the energy of one of Wisconsin’s most dynamic regions and transforms it into innovative programs and services to champion employers, economic development, and quality of life. The Fox Cities Chamber is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2024. For more information, visit https://foxcitieschamber.com/chamber-150th-anniversary/.
