Last night, April 20, 2016, we celebrated Classroom To Career’s 2nd birthday with a party at San Gorgonio Council’s executive offices in Redlands, Ca.  

There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience after Berania “Bear” Barraza, Girl Reporter for San Gorgonio Council, gave a heartwarming speech about her experiences with the Classroom To Career and Girl Reporter programs.

“You guys are making a difference, not only for me, but the girls in this county,” said Berania. “It really means a lot to us because we don’t get a lot of opportunities to meet [professionals] in the careers we want to aspire in,” she said.

Classroom To Career launched two years ago with a small group of Girl Scouts who met with San Bernardino City Council members. The idea was simple: mentor local girls and inspire them to pursue professional careers.  From there, the program has exponentially grown and served over 1,500 girls from Riverside and San Bernardino counties in just two short years!

The initiative focuses on  girls from Title I schools and helps them become better prepared for the challenges of the 21^st Century Workplace.  Classroom To Career aligns with Linked Learning concepts that integrate vigorous academics with career-based learning and workplace experiences.  It also aligns with the County of San Bernardino Cradle to Career roadmap by helping girls connect math and science proficiency to the careers they will ultimately be able to obtain.  Every girl who participates is a registered Girl Scout or becomes one.

Happy Birthday Classroom To Career!

Classroom to Career spans an entire school year, with activities and field trips at least once each month.  Girls are exposed to non-traditional female and STEM-related careers at places like California Highway Patrol, City of Riverside Information and Technology Department, BNSF Railway, Police, Sheriff and Fire departments, Superior Court of San Bernardino, Bank of America and NBC Universal News and Weather studio. They learn through meeting female role models on behind-the-scenes worksite visits and hear directly from employers how decisions they make today—from social media posts to tattoos—have the power to affect their career options later in life.

The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council thanks our funders and mentors for their ongoing gracious support of girls!