K-5th grade Girl Scouts How to Build a Blood Cell activity (Photo/Karen Stokes)
By Karen Stokes
Girl Scouts have expanded their experiences from not just taking trips to the zoo, camping, and making sit-upons but to conducting experiments on red and white blood cells and exploring careers in STEM.
On Tuesday, February 11, in celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, approximately 100 Milwaukee-area Girl Scouts visited the Versiti Blood Research Institute (VBRI). The girls had the opportunity to learn about groundbreaking research and hear from female leaders at VBRI, inspiring the next generation of girls to pursue careers in STEM.
“It’s important that we’re exposing girls as young as K5 all the way through high school to opportunities such as this,” said Ana Simpson, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast. “I as a young girl never had an opportunity like this. I would have never thought of this as a potential career.”
Girl Scouts learning about VBRI with the women from VBRI staff (Photo/Karen Stokes)
Women are still very underrepresented in STEM careers compared to men and women of color even more.
The excitement for this event at VBRI was clear when registration filled up in just two days.
Angela Green, a Milwaukee Troop leader said, “I think it gives them a chance to learn about careers that are possible in science so they can have that exposure and see the representation of all the women here.”
Ana Simpson, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (Photo/Karen Stokes)
The girls began their visit by meeting some of VBRI’s female leaders, touring the facility, and joining age-appropriate workshops. K5–5th graders participated in the “How to Build a Blood Cell“ activity where they built a blood cell using jars of red and white candies with Karo syrup, learning how blood components work together.
“I have a genetic disorder HHG, and I get a blood transfusion every week and I like my daughters, and the other girls want to know the process,” said Troop leader, Paulicia Griffin. “Some of my girls are interested in going into health science careers when they get older, so I think it’s a good start.”
Gretchen Jameson, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Versiti said, “About 2 months ago I brought my Girl Scout troop in for an event in the labs. I’ve been a leader for 11 years. I talked to Jasmine Johnson, Area Vice President, Blood Services Operations, Versiti and she said that we’re trying to work on something for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and it kind of took on a life of its own. For me, this idea of connecting girls to the possibilities of life vocationally and their careers and letting them see it especially here at the VBRI. When I was in a meeting and heard 50 percent of our researchers were female, how were we not telling that story, it’s remarkable. I think it’s an opportunity for girls to see a potential for their lives that maybe they haven’t thought of before.”