Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas Alumna Honored as White House Champion of Change for Encouraging Girls in STEM Fields

From Send2Press Newsire: Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas Alumna Honored as White House Champion of Change for Encouraging Girls in STEM Fields
DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 8, 2011 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas congratulates their alumna Bianca Bailey on her selection as a Champion of Change by the White House. Bianca is one of 12 recipients nationwide of the Champions of Change honor for being leaders in the effort to recruit and retain girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

As a part of the Champions of Change program, Bianca will take part in a special discussion on this issue at the White House on Friday, December 9. The discussion will be streamed live at www.whitehouse.gov/live at 3:30 p.m. EST. More about Champions of Change, including photos and blogs, will be available www.whitehouse.gov/champions .

Bianca attended Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas afterschool programs for nine years, and credits her hands-on STEM experiences and exposure to women scientist mentors as a key factor in selecting a STEM path of study and career. Bianca is currently pursuing a degree in chemical engineering at Howard University, set to graduate in May 2012. There she is the campus President of Engineers Without Borders, doing volunteer work in Kenya, Brazil and Haiti. She also mentors girls at Girls Inc. of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.

“We are incredibly proud of Bianca,” said Girls Inc. President and CEO Judy Vredenburgh. “Bianca is a role model who has broken barriers and inspires other girls to do the same with her success. She truly embodies our mission of strong, smart, and bold.”

“As a young girl, raised in a single-parent home by my father, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas was truly a support system for 9 years of my life,” said Bianca. “The female staff and volunteers would welcome me every day after school and would tell me that the sky is the limit. They taught me that I could be and do anything I wanted, regardless of my circumstances. For me and my sister Ski Bailey, now a junior at Grambling State University, Girls Inc. was an outlet to freely express ourselves. Girls Inc. exposed us to many careers such as engineering, law, entrepreneurship, and art. This limitless exposure and strong, smart, and bold mindset Girls Inc. instilled in us, encouraged me to choose the non-traditional profession in chemical engineering. Girls Inc. is a program that really listens to girls and consistently inspires them to want to become more than what they thought they would be, in all areas of their lives. Now, I am a graduating senior at Howard University in Washington, DC. Upon receiving my Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, if accepted, I will pursue a Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Environmental Engineering with a focus on international development.”

About Girls Incorporated of Metropolitan Dallas:
Girls Incorporated of Metropolitan Dallas aims to inspire all girls to be Strong, Smart, and BoldSM. For more than 40 years, Girls Inc. has provided effective life skills and enrichment programs that empower girls to take daily charge of their lives. At four campuses, Girls Inc. offers learning and development opportunities for personal effectiveness, academics, and career planning so that girls ages six to 18 are inspired to lead successful, independent, and fulfilling lives. To learn more, visit www.girlsincdallas.org .