High School Girls Partner with Women of Impact for Mini-Mentorship and Interview Practice

Providing opportunities for girls to receive different forms of support for their career exploration is an essential part of Girls Inc. high school programming. Receiving guidance early in high school, through a Girls Inc. network of supportive adults, is important for girls as they begin to think about their goals. Recently, our ninth graders partnered up with our Women of Impact to participate in mini-mentorship and interview practice.

Women of Impact are on the forefront of Girls Inc. of Alameda County’s initiative to connect a network of supportive adults to our girls. Active Women of Impact invest a minimum of $1,000 each fiscal year toward our programming. Members bring their skills and talents directly to our girls through opportunities like scholarship essay judges, internship hosts, college readiness mentors, and academic tutors, among others.

The first evening of our virtual Women of Impact events kicked off with mentoring sessions. One girl was partnered with two Women of Impact where they asked questions around how to pick a career path and how to communicate with coworkers. Women of Impact were able to offer advice and share their experience with the girls.

Ninth graders in our Eureka! program are focused on preparing for their summer internship. Therefore, the second evening, the ninth graders continued their learning about the professional space by partaking in mock interviews, in preparation for their upcoming internship placement. In one-on-one sessions with Women of Impact, the girls went through sample interviews using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to talk about their skills and experience. Women of Impact provided constructive feedback and mentoring for the girls as they practiced.

The evening ended with a reflection where the girls shared what they learned, including it’s okay to not have everything figured out as you begin your college and career journey. 93% of our participants in Eureka! agreed that they learned skills that will be helpful to future jobs and careers and 100% agreed that they gained a better understanding of the steps they need to take to enter a career field they are interested in, feeling more prepared to apply for a job. The thoughtful questions from our girls and honest answers from our Women of Impact, brought a positive hope and energy into the space.

JOIN US! Please contact Christina Souto, Director of Individual Giving, at csouto@girlsinc-alameda.org or (510) 357-5515 ext. 246 for more information about Women of Impact or to join the network.