OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Girls Inc. held its annual Lunch for the Girls fundraising event at CHI Health Center today.
The featured guest speaker was Dr. Mae Jemison, a former NASA astronaut who was the first Black woman in space.
Girls Inc. Executive Director Roberta Wilhelm said Jemison was a 'she-ro' for many Girls Inc. alumni and students.
"It's also the scarcity of Black female role models in STEM, and you can see our girls talked a lot about those barriers, and Dr. Jemison broke them very early on and sort of paved a path for them, to make it a little bit easier for them to follow," said Wilhelm.
Central High School ninth-grader, Maya Rodgers says that Girls Inc. provides motivation to reach her education goals.
“We get to meet a lot of, like, professors, scientists, a lot of people involved in STEM and we get to learn about their careers, so that in the future we might be able to possibly do those same careers,” said Rodgers.
Girls Inc. says that proceeds from Lunch for the Girls support educational, cultural and recreational opportunities for girls ages five to 18.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
