On March 4, 2020 we hosted our annual Trailblazer’s Tea at Brown Advisory’s beautiful waterfront location. This exciting event creates an opportunity for Ingenuity’s high school girls to connect with some of Baltimore’s best female leaders in the STEM community.After enjoying lunch with the students, the professionals participated in a panel discussion where they provided wisdom, answered questions, and discussed their own STEM career experiences. This year, our panel discussion was led by WBAL-TV 11 meteorologist, Ava Marie.
During the panel, topics such as mentorship, overcoming failures, and how to thrive in a male-dominated workplace were discussed. One panelist touched on the importance of being a mentor, no matter how big or small, to other women who wish to pursue a career in STEM. She shared that mentorship is a powerful way to pass on knowledge and advice in order to see another woman be successful.
When discussing failures, many of the women shared that they had not succeeded in certain classes in the past; however, they did not allow those failures to be roadblocks on their career journeys. Instead, they were resilient and learned how to work through them and learn from them. They shared that failures are an inevitable part of life, but how you handle failure speaks to your character and work ethic.
Lastly, one student asked the panelists about sexual harassment in the workplace, inquiring if any of them had ever experienced it and how to handle it. One panelist discussed the importance of finding an ally at work who is trustworthy and a good friend, another pointed out that it is imperative to always speak up if any kind of harassment occurs, and lastly, all of the women talked about changing the culture, whether at work or in life.
The Ingenuity Project’s 2020 Trailblazers’ Tea was filled with inspirational stories and networking resources. We would like to thank our wonderful sponsors who made this day possible, the talented youth who participated in this year’s event, and the outstanding professionals who helped create an enlightening environment that encourages young women to be passionate and excited about their futures in STEM.
2020 panelists:
left to right: Claire Hur, Ph.D., Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University; Dawnielle Farrar-Gaines, Ph.D., Senior Electrical & Materials Engineer, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab; Ebony Larry, Project Engineer, George, Miles and Buhr, LLC, Ingenuity Project Alumna, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, class of 2009; Ava Marie, WBAL-11 Meteorologist; Angela Winstead, Ph.D., Chairperson and Professor of Chemistry, Director NIH RISE, Morgan State University; Lisette Morris, Executive Director, The Ingenuity Project; Megan Olsen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science, Director of Loyola University Maryland’s CPaMS Scholars Program; and Jacky M. Jennings, Ph.D., MPH, Associate Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Thank you to our 2020 sponsors:
- Amobee
- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
- Loyola University Maryland
- Towson University, The Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics
