“Dream It Be It: Career Support for Girls,” a program that works with high school girls to help determine goals, along with personal and work values, hosted 35 Watkins Mill High School female students on Monday, December 11.

Soroptimist International of Upper Montgomery County, a chapter of the Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc, which is an international volunteer organization, sponsored the “Dream It Be It” event.

During the event, the girls participated in creating their own dream collages, setting steps to achieve their goals and role model exercises, while also receiving advice from recent high school graduates and an “Ask an Expert” panel of six women.

“[The program had] a few ladies from the workforce to come in…[and they] shared some of their stories, which I found inspiring,” sophomore Shirlene Musau said. Women from the medical, military, and entrepreneurial fields came in to speak with the high schoolers.

The overall mission of the organization is “to improve the lives of women and girls, through programs leading to social and economic empowerment,” SIUMC president Johann Dretchen said.

To achieve their mission, the organization creates and participates in events like the “Dream It Be It: Career Support for Girls” program ,where they aim to aid high school girls in planning for their futures as well as helping them learn what steps they can do while still in high school.    

The program intends to help high school girls “explore what they might do once they finish high school to be able to identify what are some of the types of careers they might be interested in. Based on things that they value in their personal lives as well as individual skills set,” Dretchen added.

During this event, adults advised the girls in different things, like how to “manage your time better, do better in school and… [provided] different options for [the] future,” senior Dalanda Diallo said. It also gave them different perspectives.

“I found a way that I could actually overcome [my obstacles] and I was also encouraged to reach out to people,” Musau added, “to help me in my goals through high school.”

Because the SIUMC is a local chapter located in the city of Gaithersburg, it focuses on the three high schools in the area: Watkins Mill, Gaithersburg and Quince Orchard. They also work with the schools’ personal goals for their students as well.  

Prior to any events, Dretchen and the SIUMC organization meets with the school principal and college/career center coordinator to “try to get the schools to identify groups of girls that they feel would benefit the most from out program,” Dretchen said.       

The SIUMC aims to helps girls who are doing well in school and show the ability to continue onto college, but may face challenges through programs and events like the “Dream It Be It: Career Support for Girls” program.