The "Like A Girl" team at Mound Westonka High School is in its second year of empowering young women in the community. Like A Girl is a DECA Career Development Chapter Project led by seniors Laura Sunnarborg and Avery Roerig, and junior Natalie Miner. The team has held numerous events over the last two years, aimed at helping girls prepare for professional careers.

Like A Girl hosted a Mother-Daughter Gala Dec. 4 at Grandview Middle School. The goals of the event included networking between women and strengthening bonds between moms and daughters. Jill Lawrence was the keynote speaker, and she delivered an inspiring message about her path from starting out in the business world to being a top-ranked wealth advisor in the nation and the CEO of BlueStem Wealth Partners. 

“One of Mrs. Lawrence’s messages that I could easily relate to was 'courage before confidence,'" shared Sunnarborg. "Sometimes it can be hard to have the courage to take risks, but after I do, I always come out more confident."

The Like A Girl team has also been busy hosting Morning Meeting sessions at Grandview. Fifth through seventh grade girls are invited to join the group on Friday mornings to learn a variety of skills while having fun with their classmates. Each session centers activities around differing themes, including leadership, confidence and teamwork. Participants are also exposed to information on business careers, such as marketing, management, finance, hospitality and entrepreneurship.

This is the second year of sessions at Grandview, allowing all the girls to really get to know each other. The sessions are led by the Like A Girl team with support each week from different high school leaders. MWHS girls sports captains and club leaders are offered the chance to speak and be role models to the younger girls.

“Friday mornings at Grandview are one of my favorite parts of the week," said Roerig. "I love the energy of the middle schoolers and getting to watch them grow. They are a fun and impressive group of girls!”

Along with sessions for fifth through seventh graders, the Like A Girl team also hosted an event aimed at high schoolers. The Career Pathways afternoon was held in October 2021 and involved women leaders from the community. Six different moms shared stories of their career paths and their advice to young women preparing for college and the workplace. Kristi Piehl was the keynote speaker, providing a glimpse into her road from being an Emmy Award-winning reporter to the founder and CEO of Media Minefield.

“I liked hearing each woman’s story of how they got to where they are today," shared Natalie Miner. "Many are in different careers now than they thought they’d be in high school. It is reassuring to know that I don’t need to have it all figured out right now.” 

Like A Girl Announces Scholarships

This year, the Like A Girl team is using the money they have raised through their events and from corporate sponsors to provide scholarships to girls at MWHS. These scholarships will go to the applicants that best represent what Like A Girl stands for - women leaders who are prepared for professional careers. The Senior Like A Girl Scholarship will be worth $1,000, and the Junior and Younger Like A Girl Scholarship will be worth $500. 

Corporate sponsors include BlueStem Wealth Partners, Altar'd Socials, A La Carte Creative Group, Gecko Graphics, Twin Cities Closet Company, West Lakes Dentistry, Minuteman Press, Keystone Group International and Gear West. Scholarship applications are due by Jan. 2, 2023. 

[Learn more about the Like A Girl Scholarships]

Sights Set on DECA Internationals

Aside from all the benefits the Like A Girl team is bringing the community, the chapter project includes a paper and presentation at the upcoming DECA competitions. The team earned first place in the career development category at the state DECA competition last year, with a sixth-place finish at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta in April. They are looking forward to competing again this year.

“In my 18 years of being a DECA advisor, these three young ladies represent what the Mound Westonka DECA program is all about," said Sue Simonson. "They are incredibly passionate and motivated to help young girls become successful and confident leaders in whatever field they choose."

"I am excited to watch them compete this year, but more importantly, I’m excited to watch them impact young women in our community,” Simonson added.