McHenry County College to host Empowering Women Expo

Submitted by McHenry County College

In celebration of Women’s History Month, McHenry County College will host an Empowering Women Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. March 13, in the College Atrium, Building A.

Following the theme of “Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination,” the expo’s topics and exhibitors will provide resources and highlight accomplishments in health and wellness, science and technology and money management. Tax preparation assistance will be available, along with a cellphone recycling station, and a prize booth with drawings for gift baskets and other prizes.

Guest speakers will include MCC President Vicky Smith, Ed.D., at 10 a.m.; Patricia Sievert, director of Northern Illinois University Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Outreach; Marla Garrison, MCC biology instructor, at noon; and Jane Hemstreet, MCC nursing student, 1 p.m.

“We wanted to offer an expo for women because women are important contributors to the areas of math, science, technology and health care,” said Kate Midday, MCC’s Women’s History Month Committee chair. “Traditionally, girls are encouraged to excel in the humanities, and boys in the sciences, and it is only in recent years that we’ve seen a shift begin.”

“Our own faculty represent this shift, and we are thrilled to see more young women teaching in math and the sciences,” said Midday, who teaches English at MCC. “It helps to encourage our students to see beyond outdated ideas and limitations on their potentials. We want all women to feel empowered by the roles they have in society and to know there are other women to support them.”

Participating organizations include: Challenger Learning Center for Science & Technology, city of Crystal Lake, Friends of MCC Foundation, Illinois Girls Collaborative Project, Intrigue Fitness, Living Waters Lutheran Church, MCC Career Services, MCC Fitness Center, MCC Sustainability Center, McHenry County Department of Transportation, McHenry County GIS Department, Northern Illinois University STEM Outreach, Village of Algonquin, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and American Association for Women in Community Colleges.

The Empowering Women Expo is free and open to the public. More information on MCC 2013 Women’s History Month is available at www.mchenry.edu/women. For more information, call Kate Midday at (815) 455-8735.