Cincinnati, Ohio, January 4, 2016 – Saint Ursula students are getting first-hand lessons about careers in engineering from successful women working in the field, and former P&G engineer and current Saint Ursula teacher Dave Stickel. In all, ten engineers visited Saint Ursula Academy in December to talk to students about the opportunities and the expansive variety of jobs and careers available today in the engineering field. The goal was to expose students to the wide array of choices early, which can help them make course and major choices when they get to college.
This event was the first in a series of “Golden Opportunity Days” which will be presented throughout the course of the school year by the SUA Counseling Department. Each day will provide students with the opportunity to learn more about specific careers from the perspective of professionals in each area. Prior to the event, the Saint Ursula Academy Counseling Department worked with the participating students to teach them about business and networking etiquette and give them a basic overview of the various engineering disciplines.
Senior Meredith Buganski of White Oak participated in the Engineering Day and felt fortunate to have the opportunity to discuss careers with the various presenters. “Being a senior, I've had to think a lot about what I plan to major in next year. I've been thinking back and forth with wanting to pursue engineering and the meeting allowed me to learn more about what one can do with different engineering degrees after they graduate from college. It was great to talk with them one-on-one and make different connections.” said Meredith.
Sophomore Julie Ahrnsen of Mt. Airy also participated in the day. “The Golden Opportunity Day taught me about the amazing impact engineers have on the world and everyday life. If I could help to create better solutions to solve the imperative issues the environment is facing, and improve the world for future generations, at the end of the day I would be able to look back at my work and tell myself, ‘Today I made the world a better place.’ I know I would feel fulfilled and excited for tomorrow in a problem-solving job, such as engineering,” said Ahrnsen.
Saint Ursula Academy Counselor Mandy Fontaine feels it is important to expose students, especially female students, to the wide-variety of careers in the engineering world. “The idea of being an engineer can be mysterious for students this age and often intimidating for a female. This event allowed our students to makes personal connections with real, female engineers. It helped them see that being an engineer can mean many different things and that it's important to have different types of thinkers to create the best ideas, products, and to solve problems,” said Fontaine.
Saint Ursula Academy has many academic opportunities for students with an interest in science or engineering, including courses that include offerings from Engineering to Robotics and from Forensics to Biotechnology, just to name a few. Saint Ursula also has a unique relationship with the University of Cincinnati’s School of Information Technology, offering a college credit course in computer science foundations and additional after school instructional classes in programming, coding, security and more.
Faculty and staff who coordinated this engineering opportunity include counselor Mandy Fontaine, Math teacher Dave Stickel, and Science teacher Chuck Strubbe. The students had the opportunity to meet with Chemical, Mechanical, Civil, Industrial, Biomedical, and Electrical Engineers from Proctor and Gamble, Siemens Industry Inc., University of Cincinnati, Wright State University, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2015 earned college scholarships totaling more than $19-million.
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Photo caption: Students meet with women in engineering fields to discuss the types of work required for different branches of engineering. Featured in the photo are (L-R) Wendy Grome (Environmental/Chemical Engineer), SUA sophomore Julie Ahrnsen from Mt. Airy, sophomore Lauren Talbot from Miami Heights, Kitty DiFalco 2013 Saint Ursula Graduate and Civil Engineering Student, and SUA sophomore Anya DiFalco of Mason.