Blog & News

STEM Spotlight: Laura & Emily

Let’s take a look back to 2020. No, really! We promise this is a good story – a story of how a mentee grew to follow in her mentors footsteps!

Mentee Emily entered our Women in STEM program in 2020 looking to make connections and meet other professionals in her desired field, Environmental Science. From Frederick County and in her last year at Penn State University, next steps were coming quickly and she knew she needed some help.

With graduation approaching, Emily was hoping to secure a position in her desired career path but didn’t really know what the next steps should or could be. This is exactly what our STEM program is here for! So, we connected her with Laura Calvert. Laura, who started as a mentee in 2014, quickly grew into ROCKSTAR mentor and quick connector for our mentees. Emily and Laura’s relationship formed quickly as they discussed similar goals, obstacles, career paths, and more. Laura helped Emily organize and prioritize her goals for obtaining a career in environmental science, and connected her with professionals in the industry.

“Without this program I don’t know that I could’ve found a job that fit my interests as well as this current one does, or at least not as quickly or efficiently. The connections that Laura provided for me were a downright life-line in the job market and I can’t thank her or the W2W Mentoring program enough for all the help and support they have provided me over the last few years!”

-Emily

Once Emily had formed a more concreate idea of the roles that appealed to her, she and Laura both dove into looking for job openings. After months of applying and many applications later, a job opening at Laura’s company became available. And guess what, Emily was interested! Laura was able to provide a reference for Emily and Emily landed the job! Laura was critical in helping Emily get on her feet at the company, continuing to act as a mentor in a new capacity. After a few months and a lot of hard work, Emily was offered a position in the same department as Laura, and once Laura moved on to a new job in a new company, Emily was offered Laura’s former position! WOW!

“I have watched a brilliant young lady basically follow my footsteps into a former position, all while expanding her horizons and showing determination. I am just a small part of the legacy she will leave as she makes waves in the environmental industry.” Laura

Laura and Emily continue to stay in touch, cheering each other on from their new roles. W2WM is so proud of both of these women as they continue to grow and challenge what opportunities look like for women in STEM. We hope all women will continue to make true and meaningful connections….because you really don’t know where they will lead you. Maybe you will be the next person to follow in your mentor’s footsteps!

 

 

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