Eureka! is Girls Inc.’s unique capstone program that encourages girls in grades 8-12 to explore career paths and post-secondary educational opportunities in STEM.
Thanks to the generosity of 19 different employers, Girls Inc. of Worcester placed 51 Eureka! participants in internships in the summer of 2015 and will place 55 girls in internships this coming summer.
One of our most passionate participants this past year was Calista, a sophomore attending Abby Kelley Foster Charter School in Worcester, MA. Before joining Eureka! Calista had expressed an interest in EMR (electronic medical records), science labs (forensics), and health care. When Mindy Greene, Director of Transfusion Medicine at UMass Memorial Medical Center, contacted Girls Inc. of Worcester requesting an intern to work at the hospital blood bank, it was clear that Calista was the right fit for this job.
By working at UMass Memorial through the Eureka! program, Calista had the opportunity to learn about blood components, blood typing, antibodies and antigens, procuring funding for equipment, reducing postpartum hemorrhaging, health care billing and finance, bone marrow harvesting and transplants, and much more.
After completing her internship at UMass Memorial, Calista said, “Before I came to the program I didn’t really know what I wanted to study in college or become when I finished my degrees. Now I see that there are many opportunities for women in science, technology, math, and engineering. Without this program I would be wasting my summers watching TV or looking out my window wondering what the world has to offer me and the impact that I could possibly make”. Calista even had the opportunity to appear on WCCA TV13 with Mindy Greene from UMass Memorial and Coral Titone from Girls Inc. of Worcester to talk about her experience.
In September 2015, Calista also attended and spoke at the Million Women Mentors Summit and Gala in Washington, DC. In her speech at this honorable event, Calista addressed why mentors are so vital in career success for women, especially those interested in the field of STEM.
After graduating high school, Calista’s goal is to attend Columbia University or Cambridge University and become an astrophysicist or an astronomer. Thanks to the Eureka! program at Girls Inc. of Worcester, Calista is on her way to achieving her goals.