On March 12, Bloomfield High School hosted the 2nd annual STRIVE STEM career panel, an event organized by Connecticut Children's Research Operations and Development team. This was the first of three career panels, which aim to provide mentorship and promote future career opportunities at Connecticut Children's for local high school students.
Panelists included Susie DiVietro, Sarah Gedeon, Mallory Perry-Eaddy, Sarah Matney, and Jennifer Wiafe, all successful women in STEM careers at Connecticut Children's. During the event, they shared their personal journeys, highlighting the challenges they faced and the support they received along the way. They also emphasized the significance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the importance of teamwork and collaboration in the STEM field, encouraging students to work together and support each other.
The STRIVE program, also known as Support and Teamwork Resulting in Valuable Experiences, is a community outreach initiative by the Research Operations and Development team at Connecticut Children's to engage with local high schools and provide mentorship to students interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. The program aims to create a diverse and inclusive environment at Connecticut Children’s, breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for underrepresented groups.
A special thank you Susie DiVietro, Sarah Gedeon, Mallory Perry-Eaddy, Sarah Matney, and Jennifer Wiafe for taking the time to share their knowledge and expertise with the students. Their passion and dedication towards promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM is truly commendable.
Thoughts From the Panelists
Both Susie DiVietro and Sarah Gedeon are team members of Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health and were eager to share how their experiences at STRIVE connects to the community work they do each day.
DiVietro shared, “This was my second year participating in the STRIVE panel, where I joined a dynamic group of women working at Connecticut Children’s to talk about our careers in STEM with students at Bloomfield High School. Last year was such a memorable experience; I was very excited to be asked to return this year! The other panelists and I discussed our career paths, the talents and skills needed to perform our jobs, what motivates us, and what we find most satisfying about our jobs. I was struck by the diversity of experiences that led us to our current positions, and the engagement of the students in the room. I highlighted my circuitous path through school, letting the students know that it’s ok not to have everything figured out while still in high school! I told them I didn’t even know what Medical Anthropology was and that my high school did not offer any anthropology classes. I also discussed the importance of being creative and collaborative in my work, and highlighted the kinds of projects that motivate me, and that I love getting to do something different every day and seeing the impact of my work. The students asked thoughtful questions and even hung around after the session ended to talk further with the panelists. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of our jobs and not take the time to think about the next generation of researchers, healthcare providers, and scholars. I was grateful for the chance to see these young, motivated students, who truly inspired me! I hope to have more opportunities like this in the future. A big thanks to Danielle Chenard, Dr. Carolyn Macica, Rosa Rodrigues, and Garry Lapidus for their work maintaining the STRIVE Program! Community engagement is such an important part of the work we do!”
Gedeon commented, “I had the pleasure to join the STRIVE panel at Bloomfield High School for a second round his year, where I, along with a talented group of women working at Connecticut Children’s, talked about our careers and experiences working in STEM. I wanted to participate again to inspire high school students that there are endless possibilities when it comes to their career goals, especially in healthcare. With a background in social work and research, my work is so impactful to not just only Connecticut Children’s, but the communities that we are committed to serving, and I wanted to hopefully inspire at least one high school student during this panel event. I also discussed my career path and what led me here, from my initial interest in clinical psychology, becoming inspired to pursue my master’s in social work, to then becoming more passionate about specifically community organizing and research within the social work field that led me to my current role. It was inspiring to see so many of these students asking thoughtful questions about our career paths, and I could already tell that they were making solid plans for their future. What stood out to me was also hearing about the current work the other women on the panel are doing at Connecticut Children’s. Some of them, I haven’t even met, but was so pleased to get to know their career path and the magnificent work and impact they continue to make. I’m grateful that the Research Operations Team reached out to me to participate in this year’s event, and hope to continue to participate in events like this in the future. Thank you so much to Danielle Chenard, Dr. Carolyn Macica, Rosa Rodrigues, and Garry Lapidus for their continued work in putting this amazing event together, not only for us panelists but for all of the inspired high school students and for more to come."
The continuing partnership between Connecticut Children's and Bloomfield High School is constantly evolving, paving the way for a dynamic and inclusive pipeline of future leaders in the STEM field. We extend our gratitude to Carolyn Macica, Danielle Chenard, and Rosa Rodrigues, as well as all those involved in making this event a reality.