Girls can explore their future with female career conference in Biddeford on Saturday

A Saco Girl Scout has created an opportunity for young girls to connect with women professionals this weekend.

Explore Your Future: Female Career Conference, will take place from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at McArthur Library, 270 Main St., Biddeford.

Winter Williams, a 17-year-old Thornton Academy Junior, is organizing the event for a Girl Scout Gold Award project.

The Female Career Conference is geared for girls and young women in middle school through college. Attendees can talk to women representatives from a variety of fields, ask questions, and gain insight on their career paths.

“Picture a vibrant atmosphere similar to a college fair, where each professional will have a table to share their unique experiences and career paths,” said Winter. “This is not just an event; it’s a chance to inspire middle school through college girls to start envisioning their futures.”

Winter said seventeen women professionals will be on hand at the event, including a research scientist from University of New England, the head of pediatrics at Southern Maine Health Care, an occupational therapist, Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail, the Arts Department Chair from Thornton Academy, a financial service industry executive, a dance studio owner, and a potter and business owner. (Publisher’s note: I will also be at the event, and am super-excited to be part of it!)

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award in Girl Scouting, and is comparable to the Boy Scouts of America’s Eagle Scout merit, according to a 2016 report by the Girl Scout Research Institute.

Girl Scouts who have specific credentials and are in high school can pursue a Gold Award. To earn the award, a girl scout must identify an issue and research it, come up with a plan to tackle the issue, and carry out the plan.

Winter said she wanted to tackle the issue of underrepresentation of women in the workforce in higher paying and leadership positions. She said part of the problem is that girls can’t find role models or someone who can answer their questions.

“I wanted to give girls the opportunity to ask questions and to meet somebody who has done what they want to do, to really give them hope,” she said.

Winter aspires to be a dermatologist. She has been in Girl Scouts since she was in kindergarten. She is on the Girls Scouts of Maine Board of Directors, and was previously on the teen advisory group. She is currently a member of Troup 2196, and loves the sense of community that Girl Scouts brings as well as the opportunities for volunteering and helping others.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.