Workshop’s message for Eagle Heights girls: Sky truly is the limit

By Harold Gwin

Internet etiquette, successful relationships and more were on the workshop agenda.

YOUNGSTOWN — There were slight variations, but eighth-grade girls at Eagle Heights Academy said one clear message came through during a “Successful Woman” workshop at the school: Concentrate on what you want to do with your life.

“To go for what I strive for in life, don’t hold back and take chances,” said March Venable of Youngstown.

“They told us to concentrate on what you want to do,” offered Latieya Richard of Youngstown, who said her goal is to become an accountant or a doctor.

“Education is important and that you should really put your mind into what you learn,” was the lesson Jessica Daniels of Youngstown said she took away.

Jessica wants to attend high school at Cardinal Mooney or Youngstown Early College and has plans to become a veterinarian or a lawyer, so getting the educational requirements she needs as early as possible is important, she said.

“Successful Woman: A Workshop for Positive Change” was a worthwhile experience, March said.

The program was put on by members of the Epsilon Mu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the national sorority of black American college women.

About 40 Eagle Heights eighth-grades participated in four sessions: “When I Grow Up,” looking at college entrance requirements; “Facebook, YouTube and MySpace, Oh My!,” looking at technology today and tomorrow; “Heart and Soul,” a look at successful relationships; and “Creating an Impression,” focusing on communication and how to dress for success.

Robin Bradley, employed in marketing at Youngstown State University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha and graduate advisor to its Delta Delta chapter, presented the technology workshop and said she found most of the young women very savvy about the potential dangers of the internet.

“They know what they should put out there and what they shouldn’t put out there,” she said.

Some said they have MySpace pages but are careful not to converse with strangers and limit what personal information they put on the site.

What you put on the internet stays there forever, Bradley told the girls.

When Alpha Kappa Alpha receives a membership request from undergraduate students, Bradley said she does an internet search on them to find out what information is out there. When it comes time to determine membership, all of that information is laid out in front of the prospective member, she said, demonstrating that what you put on the internet now can be important to your future.

Sandra Pope Thompkins, executive director of human resources for Delphi Packard in Warren and a member of AKA, delivered the keynote address, telling the young women, “What we really learn from are experiences.”

She related the wisdom of her grandmother who told here that life is like a mansion with many rooms and one needs to explore those rooms and experience the opportunities found in them.

That became her mantra which she relies on when faced with a new challenge, Thompkins said, urging the girls to “think about your life and what is your mantra.”

“Open the doors, look inside and see what you can find and take advantage of that next opportunity,” she advised.

gwin@vindy.com