Girl power at center of career fair

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Anything boys can do, girls can do just as well — or better. That was the lesson taught on March 29 to dozens of Lenox Elementary School students at the school’s inaugural Women Heroes in Our World Career Fair.

“We wanted to make sure that we showed our children that women could do anything and everything they want,” Helena Lyttle, Lenox PTA’s vice president of programs, said. “We want them to take away that they can do anything they want to and to never let their gender stop them from dreaming big.”

Female entrepreneurs, police officers, lawyers, authors and more spoke with the students to discuss career options and answer questions from girls, and boys. Most of the vendors were Baldwin-based, though some came from surrounding communities. “The idea is for the students to see themselves in the amazing heroes in our communities,” Asheena Baez, Lenox’s principal, said.

At each table, women spoke about their field and how they were able to succeed in it. Antoinette Porter, owner of the Sweet & Savory Café in Baldwin, gave a brief presentation on how to become an entrepreneur and highlighted some successful female businesswomen. She stressed the need to go to college and possess traits such as self-confidence, passion and adaptability.

Before students visited each table, Baez interviewed women who have broken into previously male-dominated fields. Megan Benzing, like many girls, was a cheerleader at Mepham High School in Bellmore before she decided to try out for the football team she was cheering for — she became the first girl to play on the all-boys team, winning a spot as a kicker.

“I would just say don’t let your gender stop you from what you want to do,” she told the schoolchildren. “You can do anything and it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy.”

The event was vital for children to understand that there are no barriers for young girls, said Tieler Giles, associate director of Girls Inc., which works to empower young girls through mentorships and programs. “I think it’s always really important at an early age to let kids know they’re able to accomplish anything,” Giles, who spoke at the career fair, said.

Although much progress has been made, Giles said many careers are still viewed as for men only. “If you were to ask someone to describe a scientist,” she said, “they might describe an older man with white hair. There are still messages of what’s for boys and what’s for girls.” But, she added, Lenox students are already seeing the world and different jobs through more gender-neutral eyes. “I didn’t get the sense that the girls felt limited in what they could do,” Giles said of the Lenox students. “They now see things a lot differently than people did previously.”

Baez said she was pleased many Baldwin businesses came out for the career fair, and that she was looking forward to inviting more next year. She added that she was looking to bring area colleges — such as Hofstra University and LIU Post — to next year’s fair. “The idea is showing our girls, and boys, what the possibilities are in terms of higher education,” she said.