text: Julie Kantor 2015-12-01T06:23:36-05:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=julie-kantor Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Julie Kantor Good old fashioned elbow grease. Does She Need a Role Model, a Mentor, or a Sponsor? tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.8412044 2015-10-28T16:19:13-04:00 2015-10-29T14:59:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ her. So do girls and young women need a role model, a mentor or a sponsor? Likely all three along their professional paths. If we want to recruit, develop, retain great girls & women in the STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) workforce we need to look at the whole pipeline and what women most need at different phases. Reflecting back, I realize I needed three things personally and professionally: 1] A Role Model 2] A Mentor 3] A Sponsor A role model was needed to show examples of great women: in science, in Senate, as leaders, board members, in tech, as business owners, and perhaps soon as President of the USA. The women in my family also served as key role models of women who found professional fulfillment, have families, and hung out with great loyalty with their girl friends (Mom and Ina just celebrated 55 years 'together' as BFFs). My father who came to America as a refugee from Hungary served also as a powerful example of resiliency and perseverance. He also taught me gratitude. A mentor took on the role in a socratic way of helping me find answers within myself. In middle school a mentor (Karen C.) gave me an internship and taught me that I love small business. She let me work at her store for three years and helped me build some skills such as: inventory management, running the cash register, making marketing signs with Mr. Sketch pens, customer service and more. Mostly, she taught me to love work. I haven't stopped working since, a dozen jobs and a few degrees later. A college mentor taught me how to get my work published and how to see others in their plights. A peer mentor got me into an interview for my first job at the company she worked at. Another mentor more recently taught me how to use a 3D printer. One of my mentors is a 72 year old dynamo and one is a 19 year old tech whiz. Mentors came into my life as welcomed guides and were both male and female. One common ingredient was they all reflected that I had to have faith in myself, and they challenged me to climb the work 'tree' to new heights. Believing in me often before I believed in myself. While a Mentor encourages one to climb the work 'tree' to new heights, a sponsor takes on the role of going out on a limb for others. In other words, a mentor speaks to you and a sponsor speaks about you and advocates for you behind closed doors. Mike Caslin was such a sponsor in my life and I wrote about him HERE. Mike mentored me when I ran Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in a few markets and then he championed me to take his national VP job after serving the company 20 extraordinary years. Other people wanted the job and he was the one to say 'Let's choose Julie.' At several conferences recently, women would approach me and ask how to get such a sponsor. From all these discussions & research, I am becoming more convinced that we lose professional women mid-career because they do not have a sponsor. I reflect back and clearly understand I needed three things from girl to career woman: a Role Model (s), a Mentor (s), a Sponsor (s). I think my start-up needs all three, and gratefully, they are all swirling around twomentor, llc as key advisors. But I need to acknowledge something else here. I am also now needed more than ever to be a Role Model, a Mentor and/or a Sponsor and I suspect you are too. It's time to start. Start simple (invite her/him for coffee chat). Start soon. Invest in her. Pay it forward. Julie Kantor is a global speaker on women in STEM, President & CEO of Twomentor, LLC offering mentor training and strategy to America's top corporations. She is also Senior Advisor to Million Women Mentors and STEMconnector.]]> I See You -- Thoughts on Workplace Mentoring tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.8050970 2015-09-04T12:37:25-04:00 2015-09-04T12:59:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ Avatar, people greet each other with "I See You," In the Na'vi language. "To see" is a cornerstone of Na'vi philosophy. "It is to open the mind and heart to the present, and embrace Pandora [their planet] as if encountering it for the very first time." I think about the scenes from the movie and the words, I See You a lot when I think of mentoring others or how good it feels to be seen by others. The opportunity to be one's authentic evolving self. People in their work want to be seen, but it often feels less than safe as we race on the hamster wheel of productivity. We carry things about ourselves in a teflon zippered luggage that rarely gets opened. Many hide behind computer screens and tablets. It can be a lonely place where we all spend more time at than with our own families and friends. But does it have to be? No. I See You: -- You are a mother first, a daughter, a wife, a boyfriend, LGBT, happy, religious, first born, sick today, a survivor... I See You: -- You are an artist, a comedian, a computer scientist, an athlete, suffering a challenge, celebrating an anniversary, grieving a death, driven, on fire with a new entrepreneurial idea. I See You: -- You had a professional failing and feel knocked down, or one of your greatest breakthroughs. And you see me too or the parts of me I am willing to share at work. We all have so many more commonalities that we realized! A mentor is often someone who is willing to see where you are now, who you are now, and where you want to be. You might have personal mentors and professional mentors. You hopefully also have a sponsor (professional advocate and champion). You might even have five or more mentors for different areas of growth: 1] To teach you the ropes of your job and how to work through internal politics and how to measure success. How to build the skills needed as your work evolves. 2] To help you with your spiritual goals. To help you let go of control and negative spiral thinking with understanding that there is a higher power. Things will get better. 3] To share with you how you can fall down and get back up, resiliency in marriage, at work, in dating, in your key personal and professional relationships. 4] To model aging and all the changes we all go through. To understand change. To meditate and find more serenity inside. 5] To challenge you to do more, be more, execute more, to let go of fear of failure, to not obsess about what others think, to be entrepreneurial at work and in life. To encourage you to branch out, have more fun and get off the hamster wheel for 30 minutes. To have coffee chat with a peer, collaborate on a fun assignment, or share a joke with your boss. P.S. A workplace mentoring program study we learned about from our friends at Chronus showed that at Sun Microsystems mentors were promoted six times more. Mentees five times more. Retention rates were higher for both groups five years later. This study was conducted by Wharton-Gartner.]]> Asking for Help Helped Me tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7978694 2015-08-13T07:07:35-04:00 2015-08-13T10:59:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ One of the challenges in networking is everybody thinks it's making cold calls to strangers. Actually, it's the people who already have strong trust relationships with you -- who know you're dedicated, smart, a team player -- who can help you. -- Reid Hoffman, Linkedin Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are. -- Bernice Johnson Reagon I remember a few years ago when I was in job transition after a 20-year career at an amazing charity. I wanted to reinvent myself and it was VERY hard for me to make the decision to leave. When you run a charity, you are a bit like a politician. You are a known entity in the community, you have a board, a staff, tens of thousands of children you work with, you shake hands and kiss babies a lo --- and I loved that. And if you are like me, you might feel quite familial with the people you have worked with so long. Leaving your tribe, out in the cold, financial insecurity creeps over you like a icy snow-covered blanket. Need Your Help was the subject line of my email. I was a wreck. It was one thing selling the charity, but selling myself and trying to explicitly state what I wanted in my next career was much more challenging than I thought it would be. "I would like to make a move and here's what I am looking for..." were some of the hardest words to write. My cheery overly self-confident entrepreneurial persona was flipped on her head. Who am I without my work? Will I find something that feels right to me again? Did I need to segment myself off into the category of: marketing, sales/BD, marketing/communications, social media, author/speaker, trainer/facilitator to fit some corporate mold? But the calls and emails came in and gratitude started flowing through me. People were so generous with introductions and a willingness to sit down and meet me for coffee. They had been where I was at. I realized I was not alone nor was I the first person to transition from a job. I found mentors and sponsors (advocates) in unexpected ways. One great leader introduced me to three VCs for their portfolio companies without ever meeting me (we did have a great call). One woman told me not to take the first thing or grab the first bar. To look at myself as a trapeze artist and the magic happens "in between." Asking for help, helped me personally and helped me help others more. Helped me understand that there are transitions in life and that it's okay to ask for help. It taught me humility, more empathy for others experiencing the same, and to have hope especially in job and big life transitions. It showed me that we are only as sick as our secrets and to not isolate. I felt much more connected to people as a human being versus a human doing and on the other side of it all, know to pay it forward.]]> Data You Haven't Seen: One Million High School Freshman Interested in STEM tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7225986 2015-05-06T19:20:47-04:00 2015-05-07T10:59:50-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ But... "Of those students, nearly half will lose interest in STEM by the time they graduate from high school." In 2013, according to My College Options, one of our key research partners with Million Women Mentors, under 7 percent of boys and 4 percent girls interested in STEM report having a mentor encouraging them. This is the 'leaky' pipeline of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Most jobs will require STEM skills (over 71 percent). Going deeper into the data as part of a tool created through a joint effort between myCollegeOptions® and STEMconnector®, we wanted to better understand career interests of both boys and girls at the high school level... Here is what we found nationally utilizing data where we were able to source nationally, but also by county, city, state... This slide is overall interest. 42.4 percent boys express interest in 2015 and 15.6 percent of all girls. We then broke it down by gender and ethnicity. Amazing the stark difference between male and female career aspirations. Boys select the "T & E", Girls selecting the "S" in particular. Our Data Source and Research Methodology: The data represented in the STEM Interest Trends and Current Student Snapshots were gathered over the previous 13 years through annual registration and research efforts conducted for the myCollegeOptions program. Primarily, that data is collected through educator proctored, paper instruments administered in U.S. high schools. The STEM Interest Attrition tool utilizes a cohort of nearly 100,000 students selected from the myCollegeOptions program. Each student in the cohort participated in the myCollegeOptions program during both their freshman and senior years. The freshman major and senior major selections were analyzed for persistence and migration pattern information. The High School Landscape tool uses three years of student and educator data collected through the myCollegeOptions/STEMconnector cooperative research program collected through educator proctored, paper instruments administered in U.S. high schools. Julie Kantor is the Chief Partnership Officer of STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors]]> Saying Yes!: 5 Pieces of Career Advice for Middle School Students tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7079988 2015-04-22T00:00:30-04:00 2015-06-21T05:59:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ Spending so much time in corporate America, I was a tad nervous and wanted to do an especially good job as my daughter was in the audience, as was the fabulous guidance counselor Maria Kohlerman and dynamic Principal Allison Serino. I asked for a volunteer and Jasmine immediately raised her hand, followed by two young men in the back row. A lot of the students had aspirations to become computer scientists, medical doctors, one an astronaut and more. Several already knew where they wanted to go to college at the age of 13. "Jasmine, do you commit in front of your classmates to give 100 percent?" "Yes," she said. Her classmates gave her a drumroll and she jumped as high as she could to leave an orange Mr. Sketch mark on some paper we taped up eight feet high on the wall. "Did you give 100 percent?" I asked. "No, that was 25 percent." So Jasmine jumped up again and added another foot to where she would leave her mark. She was proud and the audience of 7th and 8th graders were pleased. I stood up on the chair and stuck a $5 bill (I would have done a $20 if I had it on me) two inches higher. The class was in uproar seeing cash and wondering why they hadn't elected to volunteer. With the ease of a gazelle, Jasmine jumped up and made a mark on the top of the bill, knowing it was hers to keep. The exercise is about going the extra mile, and that sometimes the rewards are not apparent in the world of school and work. In my 20-year career in education, I have never seen a student not achieve success in this exercise. Here are five more tips I shared in the 20 minutes that remained. Given the massive changes happening in middle school kids' lives and brain chemistry, please find a middle school student and give them some of your time... The influences we Generation Xers had in high school, today is often hitting them in middle school, and they mentally are not mature enough to handle it all... 1. FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY YES TO: We all have different motivators: material goods, funds to put our kids through school, travel, love, family, friendship, curiousity, helping others, innovating, spirituality. Finding out what you can do professionally that is fulfilling. You likely will change your mind about your career a few times and that's okay, just start understanding what truly motivates you and 'test-drive' it. (We as adults and parents often say no, and tell kids in thousands of ways what to say no to. Let's explore what they can say yes to that ignites their passions and interests.) 2. GET AN INTERNSHIP AND JOB SHADOW: No, you are not too young to experience work. I started an internship in the 7th grade through a school program and worked for a small business. I loved it. It gave me purpose and meaning at a young age when there was turmoil at my home. It was life-defining. I stayed working in a barter agreement for a few years and continued to work with purpose for the next 33 years. You might just shadow for a day or two over spring break. Ask if you can help out somewhere after school. Shoot for 5-8 hours in 7th grade, 10-20 hours in 8th grade, a full summer internship by 10th grade and build up your learning and your network. Get your hands dirty with a project and make sure you ask for feedback and are proud of your results (Hint: Don't be afraid to ask your parents to make a few inroads for you with their friends and network). 3. FIND A MENTOR: Did you know most kids graduate school without a mentor? Over 90 percent of students in high school interested in science, tech, engineering and math said they didn't have a mentor. Ask someone who is a good professional role model who likes their job to have coffee, tea, Red bull, ice cream with you and get started. Have a few goals for the relationship. 4. GO THE EXTRA MILE:The money and opportunity will be there if you raise your hand like Jasmine did. Take a risk, take on a challenge. 5. STEM IS NOT JUST FOR BOYS: When I ran a startup and we launched it in a major Silicon Valley conference, there were not a lot of women presenting. The trends are actually pretty dismal, and that's another article. You can say yes to making a difference with cybersecurity and technology. We need you to innovate, create, tinker and build, and find ways to say "yes!" and change the world! ]]> Mentoring is the Down Payment on Our Future tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7055044 2015-04-13T11:15:26-04:00 2015-06-13T05:59:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ I agree. And reflecting add, Mentoring is the Down payment on our Future. For the busy working woman, service & mentoring can be tough. We are increasing the hours at the office, online at home, squeezing in quality time for our kids, our partners, trying to be decent daughters and daughters in law. We have less time with our girlfriends which we know is a key linkage to our sanity. And its not just working mothers, fathers want more time with their kids too and millenials have worlds of interests outside of the office with a distinct entrepreneurial mindset to their careers. ... But they need us. We are needed to be mentors and champion others. Especially as we grow in influence and have more sophisticated decision-making networks. A few words of wisdom, a listening ear, some concrete guidance, can make a world of difference to someone in job transition or trying to find their way post-college. ... And we need us. As we start realizing that the workforce is not the diverse, merit based system we thought it was and that there are political nuances we need to understand. The stats are dismal when it comes to women on boards, in leadership roles, in STEM. We learn we need to lift each other up and consider applying a two-candle perspective (when a candle lights another candle, they can both light others and all shine equally bright. ) We need to not compete for single digit spots, but push to create and open up more seats at the table. So I have an action item for us all (male and female). Bring on an intern this Summer. Run an ad at your local University, on Craigslist, get your HR office to help. Give her a project where she works with you on something big. Set goals. Invite her to meetings with you. Interview her on her aspirations. Have her meet with two other executives you admire. Have her represent you at an event or listen in to important calls. Teach her to use technology in a work setting, software, have her teach you (reverse mentoring). Be open about your successes and failures. If you are looking for more diversity in your workplace, consider this part of an on-boarding strategy. BTW - you can count your intern mentee as part of the Million Women Mentors as can your colleagues who do the same. Light her candle, let in some additional light and life to your workplace ... as she is a daughter, a sister, potentially a future mother, scientist, IT leader and she needs you to help her light up her path.]]> Mentoring Culture is Good for Business tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6792092 2015-03-18T00:11:47-04:00 2015-05-17T05:12:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ "We just don't have a mentoring culture." In this world of GO, GO, GO productivity and massive technology dependence (of can I boldly go ahead and say, addiction), it becomes harder for people to take out time for each other. The ROI, the business case for mentoring is also not always clear to industry (ie. is it good? vs. is it good for business?) "I just started here, and no one can explain to me how to use our Microsoft Lync platform." "I don't know what I am being measured on and the other interns don't either. I came here for experience." "I haven't spoke to my hiring manager yet and its been 10 days." "Our girls need role models of women in IT." Citing concerns such as lack of time, lack of formal programming at the company, belief that one doesn't have the skills to be a professional mentor are often cited for not engaging or saying "no" to this important role. But the process of mentoring can be a great asset to the company. Both good for the people involved and good for the company. In one Gartner/Wharton study, employees who mentored were promoted six times more often than their peers who did not mentor; mentees were promoted five times more; 25 percent of employees who mentor received a salary grade change in comparison to 5 percent of employees who didn't. Lastly, employees who participated in a mentoring program had a retention rate 20 percent higher than those who did not mentor, and over 68 percent of mentors and mentees stayed at the company after five years. Experiential learning is where it's at. It's one thing to hear about the world of work, it's another thing to be swimming without a life vest in what feels like shark infested waters. A mentor can help their mentee enjoy the swim, dodge the jellyfish, jump up on a Jet Ski, and experience how not to just survive but thrive in a new career. Do you remember your first swim? Did someone champion you and help you navigate? With the "I don't have time to mentor," concern. I can relate. This is why I am a big fan of internships and job-shadowing. I mentor about a dozen young men and women and feel our interns in the office get my best and more time. Short coffee breaks here and there work. Sure, we can sit in the conference room for 30 minutes after the staff meeting and go over your action plan for the week, vision and troubleshoot an area you are challenged. Brandon Busteed at Gallup said "Mentor Duty is the new Jury Duty," and also taught us that there is a big big (actually huge) divide between how prepared college Presidents believe their students are for work and how corporate leaders feel. I do believe it's our civic duty to teach, mentor and hopefully sponsor when interns come to learn. Online mentoring coupled with face-to-face works too. Thanks to our visionary CEO we hire many of these interns as part of an on-boarding strategy and we are able to test drive talent to see if a good fit for our company and culture. And by the way, they reverse mentor me on collaboration, technology, use of social networks and so much more. YOLO. JUST DO IT. Start now with just 30 minutes a week and I don't know how else to put it. We all want to work for a company that has a mentoring/coaching culture. Those companies will retain their workforces significantly more. In a non-mentoring environment people tend to swim in fear, visualize the fins around, likely want to leave, or worse join the silent majority who are not engaged in their work and drift through their days. That is not good for business. Julie Kantor is the Chief Partnership Officer of STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors. Follow her @JulieKantorSTEM A Resource to help you get started . Here is an action guide geared toward mentoring in areas of Science, Technology Engineering and Math.]]> STEM Learning STEMs from Transitions tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6678382 2015-02-13T10:58:14-05:00 2015-04-15T05:59:02-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ This is what I wanted... After a 20 year career running an amazing charity that teaches entrepreneurship to youth, the whole objective was to do something entrepreneurial and to NOT know all the answers. To lose a bit of the expert-itis I had so well honed and to soak in a new field like a sponge. To learn. To be curious. Again. I knew that I didn't know what I didn't know... and I frankly didn't know where karma would take me in my transition. "Julie, if you are invited on a rocket ship, you don't ask where your seat is," said my friend at Middleland Capital when I asked him to help me vet a new opportunity a few years ago. I had written about a tech start up I was building that we closed down a little too early. The start-up rollercoaster and what a ride it was. Sometimes in our careers we are on a rollercoaster, and the train derails and you land on another ride, another journey, sometimes another park altogether. "Where do I go Follow my heartbeat Where do I go Follow my hand Where will they lead me And will I ever Discover why I live and die" from the Broadway soundtrack of Hair fills my ears on my iPhone 4 as I deliberate my next big professional move. I know I need to choose the right culture, choose learning, choose compelling leadership, choose my direction carefully. "Follow the wind song Follow the thunder Follow the neon in young lovers' eyes Down to the gutter Up to the glitter Into the city Where the truth lies," Where Do I Go? The field I chose, or it chose me was STEM workforce. STEM management consulting That's where my train squarely landed two years ago. I joined the company to work with a great female CEO I admire a lot, and as karma would have it, I moved back into my original office space that she took over when the company Diversified Search, LLC and STEMconnector expanded. We had moved out months earlier. Then as karma would continue to have it, the company broke down a wall to expand again, and I was moved back into my old executive office that I had for 10 years. The same office! The same view! Don't ask me to explain this and how it happened because I really, really can't. What I can explain now is this. I am learning a ton and STEM is a fascinating field that requires attention and action! I will share here five key learnings: 1] Jobs in America are going to require some fundamental Science, Technology, Math and Engineering skills. Boys are more likely to choose the "T" and the "E" (no pun intended) and girls are more likely to chose the "S." Girls are more likely to drop out which is a BIG issue for America's competitiveness, and both boys and girls need role models and mentors and VERY few have them. They also need experiential learning opportunities. They need to 'tinker' and 'try' not just be 'told.' 2] Corporations and business are a linchpin of the solution. Bottom line, they hire and produce. Companies are VERY much identifying themselves as technology companies more and more. Think about it. They need to. Your life, my life is changing. People walk into a Radio Shack or a similar store, look around. Look on their phone and order on Amazon the thing that they want with two day delivery and often a reduced price. We don't watch mainstream TV much anymore, we watch Netflix and many will call the iPhone the 'remote control' of our lives. We connect globally with that leader we would have flown 20 hours to meet... on Linkedin. There is much disruptive technology out there and companies need to innovate and embrace innovation. 3] They also need to get the talent right. Companies are really hands-on in building their STEM strategies and they tend to lack access to a skilled pipeline of talent especially in the 'T' and the 'E.' They hire many from overseas to get the skills. They need more resumes from women and minorities and they are understanding that STEM needs a strategy. One that integrates typical HR functions, D & I, Corporate Communications, CSR and more. This is a great conversation we can continue that our team focuses on every day. Many enlightened companies realize they need to approach STEM not just in terms of college graduates, but look at it in terms of a K-J approach (kindergarten through jobs). They know kids are deciding what they DON'T want to do professionally by middle school. I love listening and learning from America's top corporations having spent two decades learning from America's great entrepreneurs. 4] BUT entrepreneurs need a STEM workforce too! In fact, I would argue that entrepreneurs are an innovation economy, a E-STEM workforce and wrote about this here. One of my old business partners shared with me that at a Microsoft conference for SMBs, the predominate need shared of these companies with under 250 employees is TALENT. They need the computer scientists, the innovators just as much as corporate America does. Also companies are now buying up entrepreneurial start-up ventures to integrate the innovation and the... talent. Clearly there is a big war to recruit, retain, engage creative, smart, talent and more and more businesses are teaming up with education institutions to work on this leaky pipeline. So the 5th thing I have learned is to go back to the basics. To pick up the phone, to sit across from one another too. Because we are humans and we use technology to be efficient and to plow 7 years of work into one year. But we also need to listen in a new way to each other. So "Where Do I Go?" The truth is we are all on rocketships, rollercoasters and speed trains. But listening to others to connect the dots and collaborate is what is needed. As as a collective WE do more when we plan together, we learn together, we teach each other, we move the needle together in action. We are better, when we go at the STEM challenge together. Julie Kantor is Chief Partnership Officer of STEMconnector & Million Women Mentors a subsidiary of Diversified Search, LLC She lives in Bethesda Maryland with her husband, middle school daughter and Havanese puppy, Naomi.]]> Every Mom and Dad a STEM Mentor tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6372734 2015-01-30T20:24:02-05:00 2015-04-01T05:59:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ "I am not a STEM professional, what do I do to get my child aware of these new careers?" I had an amazing two hours visit with the parents and teachers from a high school Holy Child just outside Washington, DC. Parents were there to find out how to engage their daughters in STEM skills as part of an intense 'Full STEAM Ahead' (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Campaign. The administration was focused on what they could do with engaged parents to give their students every edge at both the middle school and high school level. I was impressed, very impressed with these parents stepping up with the school to be mentors, find mentors and champion their kids for in school and out of school opportunities. Working at STEMconnector, my perspective is often from the demand side of STEM. What do America's top corporations like IBM, Intel, BP, and MasterCard need out of a sophisticated workforce and what training do we need from K- J (kindergarten through jobs) to fill these lucrative careers. What are the best partnerships with Universities and smart STEM investments? What does all the data teach us? How do we ensure diversity in our STEM workforce, especially in tech and dig deep into the plight to recruit and retain women in these fields. Being a mother of a 12 year old, it was so refreshing and invigorating to take pause with other passionate parents about how we can better mentor our kids and what our educational systems can do. I know that I want my daughter to have every opportunity and not lose out on better paying jobs as a result of perception that these jobs are for men or low confidence. Parents started thinking about how they could align their network with the school to provide more internship opportunities, even if it was on Saturdays for four-weeks. The seniors will take an entire month off. Interning over Spring break and not competing with college students for placement was part of the thinking. Start early. One neat idea from a dynamic school leader, was to have the high school students go out and experience work through job shadowing and internships, and then have them do presentations to the middle school students on their STEM experience as part of their final grade. Several teachers looked at alignments between English classes and Science. I.e Creating posters at the school to share the stories of Ada Lovelace, Sally Ride, Madame CJ Walker and more. Then bringing in a panel of three parents who are scientists to share 'the real deal' and answer tough questions about work. With over 71% of the jobs now requiring STEM skills (and the 'A' - arts is truly the genius behind great technology like the iPhone and beautifully oversized Samsung Galaxy...) it is a great time as parents and teachers to think about our roles in STEM and the importance of experiential learning and role models. Here are some great resources for your new toolkit to learn the issues and support your kids... Who is doing what is STEM education and careers? Searchable database by state and so much more at www.stemconnector.org Women in STEM: Realizing the Potential White Papers (on front page of millionwomenmentors.org: MWM 58 STEM serving Partners from First Robotics, Girls Inc., Techbridge, National 4-H, NCWIT, SkillsUSA, GirlStart, Black Girls Code, National Girls Collaborative, Mentornet and so many more with website links Click on any logo for an overview and also see infographic map For girls... We also love Discovery Science Camps, Khan Academy (free online coding and Code Academy) Code.org, Project Lead the Way programs, Girls Who Code, Anita Borg, Raspberry Pi's and more! For confidence building, I am a big fan of Girls Leadership Institute and their Summer camps. Where are the STEM Students, Where are the STEM Jobs https://www.stemconnector.org/sites/default/files/store/STEM-Students-STEM-Jobs-Executive-Summary.pdf Publication 100 Women Leaders in STEM (Great Role Models!): https://www.stemconnector.org/sites/default/files/100-Women-Leaders-in-STEM-WEB.pdf Top shelf facts: http://www.millionwomenmentors.org/#facts (also sign up and we do a Women/ Girls in STEM bi-weekly e-newsletter. Companies & individuals can also commit here with a pledge to mentor. Million Women Mentors 20 Hour Mentor Action Guide (Age 15 - 24) http://www.slideshare.net/Juliek/million-women-mentors-20-hrs-stem-mentoring-ideas Million Women Mentors Presentation- Thinking Big About Girls & Young Women in STEM http://www.slideshare.net/Juliek/mwm-keynote-presentation-april-24-2014 Internships & Parent, Teacher Resources http://stemcareer.com/parents/ ... Site has a great link to internship opportunities, shares competitions and more... Also love partner Teen Life's Guide for Parents on STEM Programs http://teenlife.uberflip.com/i/284832 http://people.rit.edu/gtfsbi/Symp/highschool.htm is the internship page Articles and Learning: Why So Few Women in STEM (American Association of University Women) http://www.aauw.org/files/2013/02/Why-So-Few-Women-in-Science-Technology-Engineering-and-Mathematics.pdf Huffington Post Girls in STEM http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/girls-in-stem/ awesome content and leads! Thesis by Linda Wiest, PhD on Parents Supporting Daughters in STEM http://www.unr.edu/Documents/education/math-camp/Parent_Strategies_PDF.pdf Great Huffington Post on Supporting Our Daughters K -12 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hobsons-roadtrip-nation/girls-in-stem_b_4023635.html The Atlantic- On Mentoring Girls http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/chevron-stem-education/hands-on-learning-and-mentorship-are-putting-more-women-in-the-stem-pipeline/179/ Great Links and MWM Partner Organizations 1] www.NCWIT.org - Amazing research and tools from the National Center for Women and Informational Technology 2] MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership has some great resources for us all to learn from. The value of mentoring, be a mentor and their Mentoring Partnership in Pittsburgh developed a great guide 3] www.npower.org- Sign up here and find STEM related volunteer and mentoring opportunities on The Community Core. 4] www.Mentornet.net - Outstanding online mentoring platform for undergraduate mentoring 6] The FabFems directory is a national database of women from a broad range of professions in science, technology, computer science, engineering, and mathematics who are inspiring role models for young women. The directory is free and accessible to young women, parents, girl-serving STEM programs, and other orgs working to increase career awareness and interest in STEM. www.fabfems.org. The FabFems Project is an innovative online collaboration tool brought to you by the National Girls Collaborative Project. Also check out www.leanin.org for role models 7] Girls Who Code or www.Code.org - We hear you can also work with a mentee and learn to code for free through the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). See video of awesome female role models (many in STEM careers)at www.leanin.org 8] Techbridge (www.techbridge.org) has a wealth of research and resources 9] Anita Borg Institute has an amazing Grace Hopper Conference for Girls in STEM. 10] Society of Women Engineers www.swe.org 11] List of 200 More Organizations and Associations with Women in STEM Focus on STEMconnector Directory ###]]> #ThankItForward tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6121604 2014-11-07T16:58:52-05:00 2015-01-07T05:59:01-05:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants. Isaac Newton "Mike, I will come work with you and be your assistant," "You can come Julie, but as my associate and friend" My heart fills with gratitude when I remembers those words from a great leader, Mike Caslin, who mentored me and sponsored me professionally. Mike believes in servant leadership and felt that when the best leaders leave, people have full confidence they can do it themselves. At a time when we want to advance more women and minorities in STEM careers, I ponder in hopes of replicating what did Mike do for me and so many others. In 1992, I was having a bumpy transition from one of my first jobs at 21. At a conference, I learned of a growing movement to teach low-income children how to build their own businesses. Mike was a key consultant at the time. His office was over 65 miles from where I lived. On our first meeting, Mike asked me to drive out to his office and stop on the way at the Boston Globe to secure three newspapers with a headline article on the organization, NFTE. The next day, he invited me to a meeting with him and four high level government officials 70 miles in the other direction. I wanted to volunteer two days a week, but reflecting back, I cancelled interviews and never looked for another job, not for 20 more years. Initially there was no budget to hire me, I just knew this was the right mentor and the right course. "Trust in Your Mission, Trust in Your Team," Mike would say. Later in advising on management he taught me the Ronald Reagan adage, "Trust and Verify," and we discussed Joseph Campbell's hero path often. My self-esteem was a bit low from some missteps I made in a corporate hierarchy, but Mike was oblivious to that, he wanted me to see myself as a leader. "Leaders lead, so lead," he would challenge. He had high expectations and sat with me at a shared computer to write proposals to start youth entrepreneurship programs in New Bedford. Once funded, Mike selected our pilot to be the toughest alternative school in the region and me to be the teacher, he said "Great, now let's train you to teach," and sent me through a week long certification training in NY. He also encouraged me to go to a student's home and talk to her parents when she stopped coming to school. I didn't know where the path was taking me, but I followed my mentor and was open to where he led. Each day there was intensity, challenge, joy in the journey, and faith. A few years later Mike had me training teachers in India and I became the youngest Executive Director at the age off 22 when Mike got a big national promotion. I set up a new office closer to my home in Boston, no Mike there, now I had to fend for myself and grab coffees and inspiration with Mike when I could. Mike and the Founder sent me to take over Washington, DC to build in 1995 and I started bringing in interns working to replicate Mike's 'belief in me' style of management with sprinkles of high expectations and challenge to leave my professional comfort zone. There were times in my career when I was at a crossroad or felt like drowning and Mike was always the one who showed me how to get back to shore. Mike became our Executive Vice President and when Mike left after 20 years, he came to me in Washington and told me he wanted me to go for his job. He championed me and it led to some intense work with the Aspen Institute and to lead national leaders looking at scalability of youth entrepreneurship education in America. My heart soared in this great opportunity and growth. So how do I thank Mike Caslin for the dozens of chapters in my book of life and the direction? For the belief in me (way before I believed in myself) and belief in the youth of our country? I thank him with a challenge and a pledge to mentor five young women and men in 2015. I invite you to use hashtag #ThankItForward to say Thanks a Million! to your mentor too. I encourage you to set a goal to mentor this year with workplace skills. To pay it forward. ]]> Mentor 2.0 (Mentor + Sponsor) tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5991588 2014-10-15T14:56:49-04:00 2014-12-15T05:59:01-05:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ Diversity Women's Leadership Conference conference put on Diversity Woman Magazine at the Grand Floridian (heaven, two thumbs up!). It had heart, some of America's top Diversity Leaders, 1:1 coaching, and great content. A common theme was how to recruit and retain top STEM talent, especially women and minorities. There was also a new recognition with many leaders that STEM is a new perspective on Diversity and we need more Diversity in STEM. We will see global diversity in who possesses next generation capabilities (employability skills, digital fluency, and innovation excellence) for tomorrow's global STEM jobs? This demand side approach (what companies need- the jobs) + new capabilities (employability skills) = STEM 2.0 I have written a lot on this topic HERE, and in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services we put out White Papers: Women in STEM Realizing the Potential. Mentoring has a key role to play on moving the needle for girls & young women professionally and we need to much more to recruit, onboard and retain diverse STEM talent. Most of the companies at the conference advocated heavily for formal and informal mentoring within their corporations. One challenge in the informal space was an inability to put metrics and outcomes behind it. Remember, you get what you measure. Mentoring increases employee satisfaction and retention. The Business Case for Mentoring by our friends at Chronus shares a lot of good datapoints. For example, note the huge increase in mentor and mentee retention at Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle) 2006 case study as well as who got salary increases and promotions To take a step back... Mentor 1.0 over the past several decades was: - How is your home life? - Let's discuss thoughts on career life balance - College and application help - Let's work together on your resume - Let's go to a movie or shoot some hoops There is much value in Mentoring 1.0 and the care and support behind it. The difference is Mentor 2.0 includes a distinct skills-based focus and sponsorship component* ie.: - Here are the specific skills you will need to make it in the 21st century economy - Let's discuss job opportunities in various geographies and what they pay (women in STEM make 92 cents on a dollar for example of what men make vs. other careers that pay 77 cents on a dollar) - Let's discuss what type of education and experience you will need to get a good job or advance in your career - Let's connect you with opportunity (FIRST robotics competition, Python coding class, Sit down with CEO of a IT firm and create an opportunity to shadow her, Visit a laboratory ...) - Let's have lunch with the SVP at XYZ company and focus on three things we want to learn about his/her professional path and work. - Let's see if we can get you a summer internship ( Did you know according to Gallup only 4.5% of high school students were in Summer internships last year? ) - Have you set up a Linkedin page? Let's take an online networking class, together - Let's discuss two key books for young women over Sushi and blue sparkly pedicures: The Confidence Code and Executive Presence * Put simply, Mentor 2.0 will have a key role in on-boarding and retaining a diverse workforce as we combine skills-based Mentoring and most ideally Sponsorship. A mentor talks to you, listens and guides you. A sponsor talks about you. Your sponsor (who respects you highly and knows exactly what your capable of) champions you for opportunity (internships, jobs, promotions, university entrance). Sylvia Ann Hewlett's CTI research showed us that men are 46% more likely to have a sponsor. Women in STEM often also share they have male sponsors that truly helped them in their careers and opened doors. Women will likely feel more comfortable starting as a mentor. Then with a growing good relationship and rapport, move it to a Mentor 2.0 relationship, and then to Sponsorship (or helping find a sponsor through advocacy of your mentee). This Mentor 2.0 strategy will dramatically expedite a diverse STEM workforce with both mentor and mentee high-fiving. But don't get all Geico- caddywhompus with concerns. Start with just 2 hours a month, 20 hours a year with your mentee and request your mentee pay-it-forward too. Julie Kantor is Chief Partnership Officer of STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors. 172,000 pledges have been made since January 2014 to mentor girls and young women in STEM. ]]> STEMinism tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5691586 2014-08-20T11:39:26-04:00 2014-10-20T05:59:01-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ It is hard for us to hear the stats and facts coming out of top tech companies that under 20 percent of the tech jobs are filled by women and under 3 percent for blacks and hispanics. It is hard to have conversations with so many women who express isolation in being one of the only women in their departments, on boards, in leadership positions. It is hard to see so many great men, husbands and fathers also and equally confused about this predicament. How did this happen? Did we get thrown back into the 50s? Were we having too much fun on the technicolor playgrounds of our making that we didn't see or want to read-the-world in black and white, in women and men, in then and now. Did we just naturally migrate to different playgrounds? Is it just in STEM fields or also in law firms, hospitality, journalism and many other sectors? What about the now generation of 'enlightened' male leaders who were raised by confident working mothers? A new boys network of inclusiveness? Hands-on fathers and mates desiring a multi-cultural and diverse workforce with sisters, nieces, aunts, family-bread-winning wives rocking it and ascending. Laszlo Bock, Chief People Officer of Google and Vivek Wadwha spoke on PBS of hostile environments for women in tech. Of frat-boy hiring tactics. He shared Google IT workforce is 2 percent hispanic and 1 percent black. Twitter, Apple, Facebook and others followed suit (or followed 'hoodie') with women representing 1:5 or less in tech jobs across the board. My generation of 80s girls (post Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive and pre-Gaga's Paparazzi) as well as the next three decades have benefited from the women pioneering before us. We tip our hats and our assorted Tori Burch scarves to you. We are confident, capable, productive, curious and proud of achieving results. We are proud of you. The wake up call is we did not believe we needed to pull out the banner of feminism anymore. We thought we were past that and delighted to join the great game of the working women, business and entrepreneurship. But we are not past all of that and a new word is bubbling up among many (both male and female). STEMinist. Because: 71 percent of jobs will require STEM skills and blue collar STEM careers are often a ticket out of poverty. STEM jobs pay women 92 cents on a dollar what men make vs. other positions that pay on average 77 cents on a dollar (and much less for minority women). Source and key data on women in STEM. Technology is what we love and we want to utilize it (coupled with female intuition) to change the world. We want to build a great ROI for companies as entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs. We know from Catalyst.org that companies with strong female leaders and board members just perform better and bring in stronger revenues. We don't want to be isolated. We want a 'best idea wins' culture. We will gladly lead and collaborate. We will mentor men and women in their careers. and we want to make you, our families, our men, and our vast networks proud as we trail blaze with innovation and collective action. Things have changed though as we inch or some sprint ahead. It is not 'I am woman, hear me roar' ... It is 'We are women, hear our chairs pull up to board tables and WebEx conferencing screens.' ]]> 45 Things I've Learned By 45 tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5659391 2014-08-07T15:00:39-04:00 2014-10-07T05:59:06-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ 1. Be an entrepreneur in every facet of life. Dream, execute, take calculated risks. Your life is yours to build and entrepreneurs have more fun. 2. Approach work with an entrepreneurial mindset. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, create and build something of value that will also bring in strong revenues. If you fail, you fail. We all do. Begin again, and try not to make the same mistake twice. Mentor and teach others that they can fall and then get back up in life. 3. In relationships, you might hit a crossroads where you will have to decide, Do I want to be right or do I want to be happy? You have to ask yourself if it's worth continuing this battle at the expense of losing the war. As singer Sade would say, "Hang on to your love. It's precious." 4. Get a puppy if you can take care of it well. You won't feel lonely with such bursting unconditional love in your life. Just remember, though, if you choose to have kids, the dog quickly goes down the totem pole of the family and you want a child-friendly breed/temperment. 5. Understand that people don't tend to change a lot. If they disappoint, they will often continue to disappoint. If they impress, they will often continue to impress. You don't want to keep going into a Chinese restaurant looking for Italian food. It's wasted time and expectation. They don't sell it and likely never will. 6. You have to build your own self-esteem and confidence. No one can give that to you, even if they wish they could. Confidence is a muscle you can work out. Set goals and accomplish them. Challenging yourself and getting strong outcomes will help flex that muscle. 7. Love your spouse or partner most and put them at the top of your list. They are a glass ball in the juggling of life's balls. So are your aging parents and kids. Most balls in life are made of rubber, will bounce and be there the next day. Understand the difference. If your loved ones know they are a glass ball in your life, they will be more supportive when you have glass balls at work or a personal hobby. 8. Find purpose and passion in your career and it won't feel like a job, it will feel like a mission. We all want purpose and autonomy with a sense of collaboration. 9. Mentor a girl or young woman. Go to them, find them, don't wait for them to come to you for help. Invite reverse mentoring and peer-mentoring with people you admire. They have so much to teach us, too! (especially about technology). 10. Ask, don't make assumptions. Worry a little less about what people think of you and a little more about being the person you respect. 11. Love Linkedin! Don't wait to use it until you are looking for a job. Collect amazing people using Linkedin now. Make some connections for other people who you know and admire. 12. Pick up the phone... it's become a lost art. 13. But leave your phone behind or in the car when you are doing something special with your family. Tech addiction is real and the phone call should not interrupt family dinner or a deep conversation with a dear friend (thanks Dad!). 14. Have several best or good friends. Having one puts a lot of expectations on one person and too easily leads to resentments. 15. Just because your parents divorced doesn't mean you are bound to divorce. In fact, you might be more resilient and try harder as a result of your parents' divorce. Try to get mate choice right, work on yourself and you can break the cycle. 16. Smile at strangers, they will often smile back and both parties will spend their day a little happier. 17. Play with gadgets and software. Try to figure them out without instructions. Try a coding class. 18. Drop the sugar and white flour (and then teach me how to). 19. Sign up for a 401k or 403B account and see if your employer will match. Even if it's just 1 - 2% of your salary going into your account, your money will grow and likely double every 7 - 10 years. Start early. 20. Understand women in the workforce and that staying home for many is harder than working in an office. Appreciate all they do at our schools, for our kids, for charities and more while we are at work. But don't succumb to the guilt of being back at work. Women are primary breadwinners in millions of families. 21. Teach your daughters to love math, science, technology. As the Verizon commercial says, teach them that they are pretty brilliant. Encourage them to make and build even if they make a mess. 22. Stop apologizing. As women, we apologize a lot. I read recently (in the book The Confidence Code) that 17 women at a leadership conference opened their speeches with an apology or self-depreciating comment. It's good to be humble, sure. But also embrace your inner awesomeness and the awesomeness of people around you. 23. Help another win. When one candle lights another, they both shine equally bright. 24. Jealousy, resentment and guilt are life destroyers. Don't be so tough on yourself and try pointing out the things you like that others have with a compliment. I.e., "I love your new home and how you decorated it." "Congratulations on your awesome new promotion!" Feeling happy for others transforms envy into something much more pleasant. 25. Whenever you are stressed or depressed, share with a friend three things you feel grateful for today (now and again, tomorrow). Text them. If you can't think of anything, they can be as simple as "I am grateful my house is not on fire." 26. Read The Four Agreements to understand why you shouldn't take things personally (people live in their reality, not yours). 27. What can you do this week or next to break your routine and experience something new, even if it's just for 30 minutes? 28. People don't leave jobs, they leave leaders. Pick a good one to work with and when you hire make sure there is a good culture fit and a great attitude. 29. Shop at good used clothing stores. You can buy awesome things at 5 - 15% retail prices. 30. It is cheaper on Amazon.com 31. Fresh herbs from yours or your friends herb garden are delightful for a Saturday omelette and you will feel proud if you grew it or picked it yourself. 32. If you are in a crisis situation (I have been in three), go through the drill (regardless if it ends up being a false alarm). Work with the facts you have and have an action plan with your family, your work, yourself of how you want to handle the unexpected. 33. Kiss more in public. Italians do and it's so romantic. Travel to Italy. Care and know what's going on globally. 34. See the ocean at least once this Summer. There is something about the waves. The serenity and understanding that the ocean is so big and our issues are not that big. 35. Don't try to control everything or everyone around you. Let go and let G-d handle some of your big challenges. 36. Get really good at at least two karaoke songs. 37. Give money and time to two favorite charities. You have no idea how hard these people work to help others. If something really impacts you, take action, help, read, share. Don't tolerate injustice. 38. Don't berate your loved ones or kids in public. You don't have to engage and add gasoline to the fire. 39. Leaders lead... so lead! (thanks, Mike) 40. Love yourself. You are the best friend you will ever have in your life and you will be with yourself the most and the longest. 41. There is nothing wrong with acting like a child sometimes. Bounce on your bed, pick up worms, dance badly in public, sing, get goofy! 42. People are not thinking about you as much as you think they are. Truth is, they are likely thinking about themselves. 43. So based on #42, tell your loved ones what you need. They don't always know and it's unfair for you to expect them to be mind readers. 44. Hug your boss or ask them about their lives. Don't fear. Try not to live in fear. Bosses are human beings like you and me. Also, always good to capture your work results in tangible metrics and outcomes. Try that and maybe then, your boss will hug you or give you a raise. 45. Don't be afraid to turn 25, 35, 45, 75... that's a good life and we can obsess about getting old or we can feel blessed for another day. Every time a baby is born we WANT them to have that opportunity to turn 25, 35, 45... 90... So I will stop at lessons learned by 45 and I will fret as I will realize there is a really important one that I left out tomorrow. But please share some of yours in the comment section below so we can learn from each other.]]> Tampons for Innovation and STEM Underwater Dreams tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5613736 2014-07-24T16:48:05-04:00 2014-09-23T05:59:06-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ flowed well through dessert about engaging youth and our girls in STEM... I shared with the table that my 11-year-old daughter seemed to be a bit disengaged when she started middle school in both math and science. Being in the STEM field I am pretty aware that 71 percent of the jobs will require some STEM skills and IT jobs pay more, I am also well aware that girls and women disengage from STEM careers for a multitude of reasons including hostile work environments, isolation, lack of role models and more. I have written a lot about these topics in earlier blogs and really want to mentor my daughter effectively and early about her career options. Cindy Moss from Discovery Education chimed in and told me to buy her a Raspberry Pi so she can build Apps and use Code.org's training as one great suggestion I plugged into my iPhone notes. But I already know that hope is not lost. See one day I came home a few months ago and my daughter had filled the living room with cereal boxes, shipping boxes, Bounty paper towl roles and was animatedly putting together a mini-city for her Zuzu pets (little hamster-like toys that you wind up and they scurry along the floor). It was an engineering feat!... and knowing what I know about the Maker movement and its role in America's competitiveness (we need to make, innovate, not just consume), I know I needed to encourage my daughter and not ask her to clean up this big project before her wonderful but obsessively clean (OCD) Daddy got home for work. She showed me the various rooms including a lever to a private chamber and mini-framed artwork. But then I saw an OB tampon dangling by tape off a wall and had an immediate impulse to grab it and throw it in the trash. I restrained myself and took a deep breath. "So what's that?" I asked her hiding my embarrassment. She looked at me like I was the most ignorant parent on the planet... "That's the chandelier Mommy!" "Of course it is, darling! I get it," I said giggling. I learned in STEM and at dinner that tampons might be a theme here. Kathryn Nash of Cognizant and a few of us had seen one of the best documentary movies of the year. Oscar worthy! Underwater Dreams, a stunning STEM movie produced by the amazing Mary Mazzio of 50 Eggs productions about four undocumented Mexican immigrants from a low-income school in Arizona who entered an underwater robotics competition. Mary called me a few times about the movie, and I attended the DC sneak premiere in March. Their robot they called "Stinky" was duct taped together and clunky but they showed up and competed against MIT, CalTech and more in a multi-part competition. The MIT team had some of the most sophisticated technology one could use, the team from Carl Hayden HS in Arizona had Home Depot and a deeply caring teacher/mentor working with them outside of school day. When "Stinky" sprung a leak during the first day practice run, they were in a bind and could have dropped out of the competition. Well one of the boys must have sisters because he had a very inventive solution... yes, plugging the electronics box with OB tampons. It's a funny scene to see them going into CVS and fighting over who would make 'the purchase.' Well it worked. They persevered. They competed. AND they came in.... first place against the best and brightest in the country. Kathryn shared with the group that the movie is so much more than a a Robotics Competition and Tampons. It's a movie about immigration and love of country. It's a movie about defeating the odds. It's a movie about a school gaining pride and a leading a massive STEM legacy for future generations that followed (the movie takes place over 10 years). So last night we all learned there are many uses for tampons, that boys needed them too, that we just have to be use our imagination and build. We also learn that our young people are much more creative than we are and that we as parents can help encourage their STEM passions and see their projects not as junk from the trash room but learning masterpieces and winning innovations.]]> STEM Mentoring: I'm In. Now How Do I Find My Mentee? tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5503609 2014-06-18T13:19:59-04:00 2014-08-18T05:59:04-04:00 Julie Kantor http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/ Co-written with Justin Miteng, Atlas Corps Fellow In light of the diversity reports coming out of the top tech companies in the country such as Google and Linkedin, we hope that we all can jump into STEM mentoring to make sure women and minorities have the skills needed for the jobs. Almost all jobs will require some skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. We need to think BIG now about girls in STEM. So we invite you, our STEM workforce (if you choose to accept this mission) to join a new movement of a million men and women committing to mentor in STEM skills. But first, who is a mentee and how do I find one? She is out there. Close your eyes and visualize: A young woman/man who has reached out to you in the last three to six months for career help. Perhaps someone you met visiting a school, or who sent you a follow-up email that grabbed your attention. A friend who asked you to meet with her daughter, sister or niece for career advice. Maybe a young woman who left a B-level impression on you but was passed up for that internship or job at your company for a common error that you see in recent employee candidates. A young woman at the gym, church, synagogue, or mosque who asked you about your career or how you balance it all. A high school girl or college freshman who is just about to drop her STEM career dreams because she thinks it is difficult or because of peer pressure or lack of knowledge about how STEM course could change her life. The young girl or woman introduced to you by a youth serving organization in your community, state, or online. If you can't visualize her, check out awesome organizations who reach out to over 25 million girls. Also check out two of our partners links Npower.org (review the Community Corp) and Fabfems.org (National Girls Collaborative director) and post a role model profile if you love, love, love your STEM career. Also, partner Leanin.org is a great resource on peer mentoring models. To get the relationship off to a great start... 1. One to One -- Start Simple "I would like to invite you to meet for a cup of coffee or tea or a Skype chat." See if there is chemistry and if you can work together towards specific educational and career goals with a skills-based approach. 2. If #1 goes well, the mentoring relationship begins. And remember to register your pledge here even for one girl and click here tools such as a 20- Hour Mentor Action Guide (target age 17 and up). Set expectations right on the front end around goals and timetables. 3. Here are 5 suggest five pathways to build your mentoring program. a. Face to face mentoring that includes a skills-based component and can include competitions b. Online mentoring (Skype, Google Chats, Lync, MentorNet.org, Email, Text...) c. Paid internships or apprenticeships with designated mentor for high school and college students or returning veterans d. Establishing workplace mentoring of the young women who already work at your company and are getting their sea legs e. Sponsorship -- Men are 42 percent more likely to have a sponsor. Helping a young woman with key introductions for opportunities, networking, job interviews, internships and promotions We advise that you as an individual or company chooses the appropriate pathway or a combination of pathways that suit your preferences and the preferences of your mentee. Oh, and by the way, don't underestimate the power of reverse mentoring and all you will learn from your mentee too!]]>


text:
Capital Punishment for the City That Brought a Smile to the World
Ellam, Dennis, The Birmingham Post (England)
To be Second City is to be second choice, in many influential minds; it means, as the second biggest car hire company used to observe in its advertisements, having to try that much harder.
And there is no question that Birmingham has tried, with bravado and enormous effort, as plainly evidenced by its spectacular successes during the first six months of this year.
It achieved things which the First City could never have hoped to do.
The trio of prestige events which were brought to Birmingham - the G8 summit meeting of world leaders, the Eurovision Song Contest and the world's biggest assembly of delegates, the International Lions Convention - could never have gone to London.
Suitable venues, with the space and flexibility required, would not have been available. Travel connections would have been tortuous and slow. Moving presidents between their meetings and their accommodation would have either required their sitting in tr affic jams, or creating new ones while they passed by.
Consequently, there was little choice but to put the Second City first on these occasions and, given the opportunity, Birmingham excelled.
But now we are in the period of post-euphoria.
The statesmen and the delegates and the showbiz glitterati have moved on. While they were in town, they ensured that Birmingham benefited both commercially and by having its transformed image relayed to a worldwide audience, but they have left behind a v acuum.
The Second City, in effect, must determine how it will build on such a concentration of success which came in so short a time.
It can expect no sympathetic co-operation from London and the metropolitans. The old rivalries between Second City and First are likely to re-emerge, this time perhaps with a renewed degree of animosity.
Those who might insist that Birmingham's international standing as a centre of excellence must surely have been established beyond any doubt should bear in mind the most recent evidence - that metropolitan bias still exists and that it inevitably entails prejudice against cities beyond the capital.
Only last week it was revealed that a treasure of Pre-Raphaelite art which is to be passed to the nation will be housed in London's Tate Gallery, and never mind that the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelites, by far, is in Birmingham.
In fact, the Second City was never even informed that the painting was becoming available, far less consulted about where it ought to be placed.
The presumption, as it must have been among the lawyers who proposed the deal, the civil servants who negotiated it and the Culture Secretary Mr Chris Smith who eventually approved it, was that such a national asset must automatically be sited in London.
It is a sign that no matter how Birmingham proved itself when put to the test - and the Prime Minister himsel of course, led the chorus of praise for its accomplishments - the underlying ethic remains that primary consideration must be awarded to the cap ital.
No doubt it will be explained away, as the Tate offering the best possible surroundings for an important acquisition, but the fact is that the purloined Pre-Raphaelite is merely the latest example of the southward drift. …

subset: commoncrawl


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Hotmail for me, I use it from 3 years and still happy with it.


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Connect With Us800-299-9470
The NewAir AD-400 Portable Dehumidifier is designed for heavy-duty dehumidifying and can remove up to 40 pints of moisture a day from the environment. Portable enough to move from room to room, the AD-400 is perfect for living rooms, bedrooms, offices, basements. It features a built-in humidistat so you can monitor and adjust the humidity, with a 24-hour timer to control operation. An on-board ionizer cleans and refreshes the air you breathe. Choose from manual or continuous drainage options. It operates quietly, too, so it won't disturb your home.
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JOTA-JOTI is the largest Scouting event in the world. In 2014 over 1.3 million Scouts participated across 157 countries. The event is held the third weekend of October; for 2016 the Jamboree takes place on 14th, 15th & 16th October.
This is the official World Organization of the Scout Movement's website for JOTA-JOTI (Jamboree on the Air – Jamboree on the Internet).
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Fantastic plugin! I've spent hours researching and trying different plugins and this is the only one that seems to do everything quite nicely and easily — great job!
Moving along, Im trying to use placeholders to eliminate the need for labels, and I've managed to get it working for all fields except the password fields "pass1" and "pass2" in the registration form. I haven't yet examined the fields for the profile, but as of right now, pass1 and pass2 are giving me a headache. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!


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Steven A. Mindel and Robert C.
Brandt named Top 100 Super Lawyers, 2009
100 lawyers within the LA county area received the highest point
totals in the 2009 Southern California Super Lawyers balloting, research and blue ribbon
review process.
To read more, click here.
FMBK was founded in 1996. Today, with seventeen talented lawyers, our firm concentrates on five distinct areas of law: Litigation, Family Law, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Litigation, and Business Transactions. Our law firm is based in Los Angeles.


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Languages: Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Japanese, Korean
Learning: French, Korean, Japanese, English
21, Male, From China, Living in Buffalo, United States
Local time: Nov 27 05:11 (Eastern Standard Time)
|I want to meet English speakers interested in 50/50 language exchange for Chinese. I want to meet Japanese people to learn more about Japanese culture. I am happy to help you with Chinese.


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Children sing naturally and spontaneously, sometimes without lyrics or tunes. Youths sing expectantly, anticipating what lies ahead. But the elderly often have trouble singing physically and generally look backward instead of forward. Yet this third song of Christmas has endured 2,000 years; many sing it every Sunday, and some religious bodies have incorporated it into evening prayers every day since at least the fourth century AD. That is quite a claim for a composer of any age, let alone an octogenarian.
We know little of Simeon other than: he lived in Jerusalem at the time of Christ's birth; he was an upright man; the Holy Spirit was upon him; and he was waiting for something to happen (Luke 2:25). T.S. Eliot described him as "one who has 80 years and no tomorrow" in "A Song for Simeon." Since life expectancy was roughly half of what it is today, he was literally living on borrowed time solely because he was waiting for the prophesied comfort or consolation of Israel (Isaiah 40:1-2, 10-11).
Many hold out for fulfillment of some special dream before dying: birth of a child/grandchild, burning of a mortgage, educational/vocational success, etc. One recent study found devoutly religious people often survive holy days before succumbing. Simeon's dream went much farther. He was looking for the greatest possible blessing on his nation, because God promised he would not see death before the Lord's special leader, known in Hebrew as the Messiah and in Greek as the Christ, had come (Luke 2:26).
Although most details remain unknown, I doubt Simeon's expectations were twisted by personal political or military dreams of success. He was not thinking of himself but of his people, who had been without a significant spiritual leader for generations. He must have been a man of great faith, to receive and believe a promise from God that he would not die until his dream was fulfilled, whether he lived with it from his childhood or only after he had become an older man.
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What Do You Know About the Festival of Lights?
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Since tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, I thought it would be fun to explore the history and traditions behind the Jewish celebration. Find out what you know about the holiday!
Source: Flcikr User Elana's Pantry
What Do You Know About the Festival of Lights?
True or false: the story of Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Torah, the Jewish holy book.


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Brought to you by
Congratulations to our winners Stephy32388, Babybugbug, and ceecee90!
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The surprise is part of the fun!
Share your Nursery Essentials in this thread for a chance to be one of three (3) lucky winners of a one month Stork Stack subscription.
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I'm a ftm due June 27 so we'll see if my nursery essentials change upon ds arrival!
1) Night light - I imagine dh and I will be wore out and last I checked we can't see in the dark! Would hate to wake our sleeping boy up by bumping something. Besides i'm sure i'm going to be sneaking in the nursery every 5 minutes to awe at our beautiful creation
2) Glider/Rocker Chair - Having a comfortable corner in the nursery is very important to me. I feel it will help make his room more comfortable to him spending bonding moments with him right there. Imagine it will be very easy to nurse and rock him to sleep and delicately place in his crib taking minimal steps.
3) Diaper changing table with open shelves - I chose a diaper changing table with open shelves rather than drawers hoping all items will be more easily accesible for diaper changes.
4) Ipod Dock - I chose to move our ihome to the nursery beacause i've heard many complaints about the mobiles or other devices not playing nursery tunes long enough for baby to get to sleep. An ipod dock is my fix for this issue. I can easily purchase some baby einstein's tunes and loop on low volume for ds.
5) Diaper Pail w/ washable liner- DH and I are choosing to go the cloth diaper route (charlie banana one size). Nonetheless I do not want a stinky room! I would like the charlie banana wet bag to be the liner (so it too can be tossed in the wash)
I hope these items are going to be as essential as I think they are. Looking forward to hear other ideas from others! Sometimes it seems like the little things are the ones that get over looked.
Changing table
toy box
diaper/wipes shelf
rocking chair
enough shelves for baby monitor, bathtime bottles, healthkit (thermometer, fingernail clippers etc.), extra wipes and diapers, blankets (recieving and thermal) and of course a nice hiding place for the daiper genie!
Baby Crib. adjustable for baby age needs.
Pretty non-slick carpet for all those long nightly walks and sways :)
Family made quilt framed in the room (not above the crib! lol)
Cute pink, white, yellow, and hot pink decorations on the wall (stickers, paint etc.)
Sign on babys door with a cute quote
Glider chair with ottoman- we already have one all set up in the future baby's room!
Everything the baby will need
baby swing, when my daughter was little that's the only thing she would sit in so i could get stuff done
I'm due with twins Oct 2013. My little buttons nursery essentials will be
1. Night light- to keep the boogie man away
2. Breast pump- natural feeding only will be going into my little ones tummy and it's the ultimate bonding experience that I heard.
3. Breast feeding pillow- I'm going to need it bc two at one time ....whoa. lol.
4. What to expect the first year will be the nursery Bible. I honestly don't know what to expect with twins.
Someone to wash all the bedding, clothes, blankets, car seat, swing, and toys! Wishful thinking. Diapers, wipes, soft blankets, onesies, and a nursing pillow.
Home security system for locks on nursery windows cause I pity the fool who would try n break in that way ;)
Pleant of storage space for babies nighties, outfits, bootie, sleeping sacks, hats, and jackets
Lots of open visible shelves so babies bigger toys can be displayed until she can play with them :)


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Analyzing Bob Dole's Tax Credit Plan and Its Effect on Working Families
Your Oct. 14 editorial "Bob Dole's `tax increase'" criticizes the earned income tax credit (EITC), portraying it as a widely abused welfare program undergoing exponential growth. The editorial also indirectly criticizes a report our organization, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, prepared. The editorial says the White House has cited that report to support its claim that the Dole tax plan would raise taxes on 9 million households. Unfortunately, the editorial oversimplifies the issues involved.
The EITC has grown rapidly over the past decade as a result of bipartisan decisions to expand it in 1986 and 1990 and a further expansion in 1993. But the rapid growth of the EITC is ending. Our center projects that between fiscal 1997 and fiscal 2002, the EITC will grow at an average rate of just 3.7 percent per year, less than the combination of inflation and population growth. It also projects that after fiscal 1997, the EITC will be one of the slower-growing entitlements and will decline as a percentage of the gross domestic product.
In addition, while the EITC has had serious abuse problems in the past, changes in its structure and administration (culminating in an Internal Revenue Service crackdown launched last year), appear to be having large effects. In the fall of 1995, the center lowered its estimate of EITC costs by $18 billion over seven years; in so doing, the center noted that EITC costs in fiscal 1995 were significantly lower than had been expected and pointed to the IRS crackdown as the likely reason. Further measures to curb EITC abuse were enacted in August as part of the welfare bill.
Finally, there is the question of whether the EITC reductions in the Dole budget plan constitute a tax increase for 9 million households. The Clinton-Gore campaign classified any EITC reduction as a tax increase. Your editorial classified any such reduction as a welfare cut. Both positions are too narrow.
The EITC was designed to offset income and payroll taxes that low-income working families pay. Many near-poor families still owe tax -primarily payroll tax - to the federal government after the EITC is taken into account, although their tax burden is significantly lower because of the EITC. …


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Very satisfied!
By satisfied_shopper
from Ottawa, Ontario
I bought this in red, and I loved it even before I put it on. Every time I wear it, could not help but admire it. The red is a good pop of color when wearing a neutral shade of shirt with it. I also bought the matching earring with it. Love them both. The scent that goes with the bracelet is not strong which works for me since I don't like a strong scent.
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A Very Lovely Bracelet!!
By Love to Shop
from Hamilton, ON
I purchased the green bracelet with the French Clary Sage fragrance. The beads in the bracelet are a rich green colour very much like jade and are very pretty. The silver tone filigree charm is antique looking and just lovely. As the charm has a large clasp I am able to attach it to other bracelets and necklaces that I have making it very versatile. The scent of the beads are fresh and light, a good anytime fragrance. I can put just a couple of beads in the charm and the fragrance lasts for over 3 weeks. I am looking forward to trying other of Lisa's scents. A very unique idea that would be a great gift for any woman.


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Group Responsibility
A Narrative Account
|Publication Date
|February 2014
|Hardcover Ebook (EPUB) Ebook (PDF)
|Palgrave Macmillan
An African-American single mother is harassed and threatened with violence until she moves out of an all 'white' neighborhood. A hate crime has occurred and we wonder, who is responsible? Is it just the few people who actively threatened the woman and her children, or does responsibility extend further? This book explores these questions in detail and ultimately finds that responsibility may extend far beyond active perpetrators.
Within philosophy, these kinds of questions are typically discussed in the debate over 'collective' or 'group' responsibility. This book reviews the debate and examines the standard objections to group responsibility. It also evaluates some currently available accounts but finds them unsatisfying in various ways. Ultimately, drawing on work in social psychology, narrative ethics, and feminist philosophy, the author presents a new account which answers the standard objections while also giving practical guidance to individuals who take their group-related responsibilities seriously.


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Gerald Stanley Krall
Position: DB-HB
Height: 5-10 Weight: 185 lbs.
Born: April 19, 1927 in Toledo, OH
High School: Edward D. Libbey
College: Ohio St. (school history)
Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 6th round (59th overall) of the 1949 NFL Draft.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 0 (14739th overall since 1950)
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Originally posted on Sports-Glory | Last updated 12/15/12
PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 27: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens prepares for the snap during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 27, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was hopeful to play against the Denver Broncos. But according to NFL Network's Michelle Beisner the Ravens will not activate Lewis for Sunday's game. Lewis has been out since mid-October with a torn triceps that could have ended his season and possibly his career. But it sounds like he will play in the Ravens Week 16 game against the New York Giants. "At the end of the day, you're gonna see Ray Lewis again," linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said last month. "For the greatest player in Ravens history to be able to return from this injury and come on this championship run with us? When he was said to be down and out? Man, that's critical mass. When he comes through that tunnel, that's gonna be the earthquake and the tsunami."
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Make a No-Rise Dough and Go From Zero to Pizza in 30 Minutes
Homemade pizza is an art form, but it's a time consuming art form that can take hours of prep work. With a little help from CHOW, Modernist Cuisine, and some kitchen science, you can cut that prep time down to a fraction of the original and still turn out delicious homemade pizza, anytime you want it. »
Cook Pasta with Cold Water and a Frying Pan for a Quick Dinner and an Easy Sauce
The next time you make pasta, instead of waiting for a huge pot of water to boil before you add pasta, consider starting with cold water and a large frying pan to get the pasta cooked perfectly, quickly, and with just enough pasta water left in the pan for a sauce to go with your meal. »You can reach Alan…


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I've been assured my in-laws don't read my column. However, because of their mix of shame, guilt and blame, I'll be vague on some details. They've fallen on hard times. No one wants to talk about it, let alone have it written about and syndicated.
But I think their story is illustrative.
My in-laws live in a generic suburb of modest mid-century tract homes in the middle of strip mall sprawl. They have a well-attended lawn; two mid-range cars in the driveway, a loyal lab mix sleeping on the porch. They both worked in middle management in not-important-enough-to-name small businesses ...


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i only stayed here one night because the hotel i actually wanted was full for the first night i landed in beijing. i liked my room and it was comfortable, but the wifi is a bit slow. also, the location isn't good... it's not close to a subway or any shopping centers.
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MOBRIDGE, S.D – (DRG News) The North Central South Dakota Children's Choir performed November 9th at the Pollock Community Gym and Mobridge Middle School Theater.
They met one day a week for six weeks to prepare for the concert.
Visit their website for more information.
Great performance and here are a few pictures.
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Cry me a river
Posted by Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff June 10, 2010 08:59 AM
Well, there goes Jeremy Roenick's analyst career. "Chicago Blackhawks, man."
There's passion for the game, and then there's just making a complete, biased fool of yourself on national TV. I can guarantee you Milbury won't be shedding any tears when...well...
By the way, I'm not in the camp that believes watching the Flyers lose that heartbreakingly softens the blow of Philadelphia knocking out the Bruins. Eliza Dushku laying on a pile of money wearing nothing but her Celtics jersey offering me two tickets to sit courtside with her tonight wouldn't allow the nightmarish images of May 7 to clear. Though if she's reading, I guess that scenario wouldn't hurt to try.
About the Author
Eric Wilbur is a Boston.com sports columnist who is still in awe of what Dana Kiecker pulled off that one time in Toronto. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and three children. Comments and suggestions for the best Buffalo wing spots are encouraged.
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If it's using the Victory battle system, it will definitely be a better game. My only concern is that NISA isn't handling the localization. That could mean any number of things. I don't think Idea Factory has ever localized a game in-house before, at least not that I know of, so it's hard to say how good it'll be. Moreover, with a different staff handling it, the characters might be handled completely differently. Voice actors could change and personalities could be different. Since the characters are pretty much the biggest draw the game has going for it, this could be a real downer if it's not handled right. Without the humor, it's just another mediocre RPG.MasterChief said:I might give it a go if it gets a physical release and it's improved over the PS3 original. Bonus points if it's less embarrassing to play outside of a locked room.


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The Bachelor: Bungee Jumpingby Free Britney at . Comments
I now things might seem like every body judging but it not for us to do that. Hearts heal and the most inportent is being happy.
i hope Jason picks malissa cause they are right for each other
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