Pinellas Park, FL (August 13, 2021) – After cancelling the event in 2020 due to COVID19, Girls Inc. of Pinellas will hold their annual luncheon celebrating women in STEAM on Friday, September 17, 2021 at the Collection on Palmetto in Clearwater. The 2021 Honorees are Rachel Carpenter, Founder and CEO of Intrinio, Dr. Trina Espinola, Chief Medical Officer of Bayfront Health, Dr. Leslie Hafer, St. Petersburg College Provost, Lori Larsen, Chief Strategy Officer at Celestar Corporation and Rita Lowman, President of Pilot Bank.

“These honorees demonstrate what is possible when girls pursue careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). The luncheon is an opportunity for people to network with other STEAM professionals and to learn how they can engage with and support young women who want to follow in their steps,” shared Darla Otey, Executive Director at Girls Inc of Pinellas.

Dr. Divya Joshi of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital spoke to the girls this summer as part of their Working Women Wednesday series and she shared why it is so important to introduce girls to STEAM activities, education, and career options at a young age. “Studies show that girls could accomplish just as much in STEM as boys, but that society has often unconscious lower expectations from girls than boys. Career advancement in STEM also favors men. Early exposure gives girls the self-confidence to pursue STEM if that is their passion.”

“It’s important to introduce girls to STEM early to give them the confidence that can tackle complicated situations.  STEM trains for resilience because it’s very rare to get the solution correct on the first try and imperfect solutions are often better than no solutions at all. So even if the girls don’t follow a STEM career, they have the tools necessary to be better prepared for any career.” Said Christina Wojcik of Citi, another Girls Inc Working Women Wednesday speaker.

Girls Inc of Pinellas is the leading non-profit that inspires and benefits 500 girls annually through services designed to teach all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.  Girls Inc.’s approach to STEAM enrichment inspires girls through hands-on, interactive workshops and exposes them to leaders in fields of study in which women, particularly women of color, are underrepresented.  STEAM programming takes place daily across all age groups, with a focus on middle and high school students.

There are a small number of individual tickets remaining for the luncheon – visit https://girlsinc-pinellas.org/sag/ to purchase. Companies interested in sponsorship or corporate tables can visit https://girlsinc-pinellas.org/celebrating-women-in-steam-luncheon/ or call (727) 544-6230 x112.

To register your daughter for Girls Inc. of Pinellas’ after-school enrichment program visit https://girlsinc-pinellas.org/after-school/.