Migrant Education News (a newsmagazine for the Washington State
Migrant Education Program)
Girls Discover They Can Do Science Too
Noticias de Educació Migrante (una publicación del Programa de
Educaión Migrante del Estado de Washington)
Seattle, WA
January 1998
Jenny Lamas and Angie Moreno are seniors at Highland High School in Cowiche, Washington. In November, they attended a statewide conference for Rural Girls in Science (RGS) at Central Washington University.
RGS is based at the University of Washington's Northwest Center for Research on Women in Seattle. Dr. Angela Ginorio is the program's director.
Jenny and Angie both are from migrant farm working families, and each credits the RGS program with their desire to pursue science related careers. In fact, Jenny says she would have simply dropped out of school were it not for the program.
Jenny and Angie were recruited into Rural Girls in Science at the end of the ninth grade by their science teacher, Mr. Farnsworth. That summer, the two went to the RGS summer program at the University of Washington for two weeks. "We had lab classes, lots of speakers about careers, and visited the Pacific Science Center,' Angie recalled. In addition, they "shadowed" health professionals in a mentoring program. They have attended numerous related activities since their freshman year which also helped them prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), find college scholarships, and hear speakers on various topics.
"Many Hispanic people think they can't be good in science. I thought I couldn't, but I can. Sciences seem hard at first, but the program energizes us, and we've found out that girls can do sciences, too,' Angie said. As a result of Jenny's involvement with the program, her sister, who now wants to be a nurse, participates in the RGS program.
Angie says she definitely wants to be in control of her life. She would like to go to the University of Washington, despite the fact that it is way across the state in Seattle. She wants to be either a teacher or an astronomer
Jenny's plan, at this point, is to stay a little closer to home. She had a daughter a couple of years ago, so she will probably take classes at Yakima Valley Community College. Angela Ginorio and other members of the RGS program staff strongly supported Jenny after the birth of her child, as she planned to drop out of school. They helped Jenny realize that staying in school was in the best interests of both Jenny and her daughter. "That's really why I went back to school,' Jenny affirmed.
"The program shows us what opportunities there are out there for careers,' Angie said. 'They help us be more outgoing. We used to hide in class, now we're involved. They say, "Try your hardest, and alwyas look for things to be involved in to get a better idea of the opportunities."
For Angie, the RGS has had a major impact on her life. "If it were not for the program, I wouldn't be about being involved. I'd be at McDonalds, or something, maybe not even in school. I wouldn't have understood how important education is. Noew, I'm going to be the first member of my family to graduate, and I can tell my other family members how important it is for them to get an education."
Angie is now a role model in her family. "I'm like an idol. I'm going to college,' she states proudly. Both of these young women believe the RGS program is well organized, provides excellent information and has helped them temendously. "Sometimes we get exhausted going to all of the meetings," Angie explains. "But, we get so enriched from the information we learn."