Building Relationships and Sparking Interest with Eurekans

Girls Inc. Eureka! is a five-year summer and school-year program for teenage girls and gender-expansive youth interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. In partnership with the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, the Eureka! Program builds sisterhood with girls from all over the Twin Cities — exploring their career interests and dreams while supporting them through high school graduation and preparing them for the next steps in their post-secondary education. Our focus is to encourage our “Eurekans” to explore their career interests while supporting them through high school graduation and preparing them for the next steps in their post-secondary education.

Networking 101

   

Early April brings our annual Networking 101 event for the Eureka! program. This event allowed our Eurekans to meet and network with professional women in various careers and industries in the greater Minneapolis metro, some including Xcel Energy, Cargill and Land O’Lakes.At each table sat one adult volunteer as well as a small group of Eurekans, rotating tables every 10 minutes until each volunteer had spoken with each group of teens. During these networking periods, teens asked our volunteers about their career paths — the twists, turns and obstacles each woman experienced on her journey to her current career. Volunteers were asked to give interviewing tips and tricks and share what they did in high school or college that prepared them for their current careers. Eurekans were encouraged to answer questions that often appear in interviews, such as personal strengths, areas of growth and specific instances of leadership and problem-solving.See our 2023 Youth in Power, Shivani attend the Networking 101 event.

Empowering Eurekans

The spring Networking 101 event is always a favorite for Eurekans because it exposes our participants to various career opportunities and real-life experiences to network and practice interviewing skills in a safe and supported environment. Above all else, this event connects our Eurekans with women who can encourage them that they are capable of navigating the path to their eventual careers.Learn more about Girls Inc. Eureka! ProgramDonate to YWCA Minneapolis