The area school districts in attendance were Bolton, Hudson Falls, Lake George, Maple Ave Middle School (Saratoga) and Queensbury. Glens Falls was unable to attend due to a snow delay.
Six female-identifying business professionals, representing each of the ECCA program areas of focus, sat with the attendees for a panel conversation about Women in the Trades.
The day started off with guests meeting all together to receive a welcome to the campus, information about ECCA and a thank you for coming to the Women in Trades event. Students in small groups were then brought on classroom tours to each program where they learned about a day in the life of an ECCA student, what the program offers and opportunities beyond graduation.
The ECCA two-year programs offer the following pathways: Advanced Manufacturing, Business and Entrepreneurship, IT/ Computer Networking and New Media.
The guests then met up in an auditorium to hear about and take part in a panel discussion with female business professionals. The panelists were:
- Erin Badcock, Chief Operating Officer, Hacker Boat Co. & Morgan Marine, Inc.
- Katie Clouse, Design Engineer, Mack Molding
- Shellie Lunt, Microcomputer Specialist, WSWHE BOCES
- Emily Peterson, Adjunct Professor / Owner Operator, SUNY Adirondack and Sentinel Butchery
- Alexis Shippee, Social Media and Brand Manager, Black Dog Designs
- Grace Valla, Process/Project Engineer, Epimed
Questions for the panel included, “What does your company do, what is your role within your company, what does the phrase “women in trades” mean to you, what is one piece of advice that you can provide our female students for entering into the workforce, and more.
These panelists talked about perseverance, persistence and continuing on no matter what obstacles may come. Students had time to ask questions of the panel and offer their own thoughts and curiosities to working in the real world.
For photos of the day, click here to go to Facebook.