The Duquesne Duke

Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Features

Strong Women, Strong Girls has weekly activities that touch on ideas of communication, cultural sensitivity, critical thinking and lifelong learning. Each week, the mentors and the girls read biographies of female role models, from the past or present, such as former U.S. Surgeon General Antonia Novella and renowned scientist Inez Fung. This helps in proving to the girls that dedication can truly amount to something.

"We teach them that women can achieve their career goals and that they can go to college," freshman Meaghan Cunningham said. She added that the organization gives the girls positive reinforcement to achieve great things in the future.

The program not only influences the young girls, but it positively influences the Duquesne women who mentor at the elementary schools. After helping out the girls, freshman integrated marketing major Emily Hamsher has realized how grateful she is for her mother.

"It gives me a different perspective and makes me thankful for the strong women in my life, like my mom. It's nice to be able to be the mentor for someone else."

"It is a culture shock to be down there. A lot of them come from bad homes so they do not understand the concept of college," Ashley Walter, undeclared liberal arts major, said. She explained how going to the financially-stricken schools has allowed her to see the reality of where some people grow up.

"All they talked about at school was going to college. They wanted to go to Duquesne," Oefinger said.

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