Female high school students can learn about career opportunities in a variety of fields from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. today at the Conference for Young Women in the Holmes Student Center.

The event is held for local girls in their sophomore through senior years of high school, said Jolene Skinner, program coordinator for the NIU women’s studies program. She said 20 to 30 girls attend every year.

“The Conference is designed to introduce the young women to a variety of career fields, some traditional and some non-traditional, so that they can see the opportunities that lie before them,” said Amy Levin, director of the women’s studies program.

This is the eighth year the event has been held.

“Our program focuses on females, so we were in an ideal position to pull together faculty to talk about their work in diverse fields,” Levin said.

The students will be able to attend panel discussions, presentations and tours throughout the morning.

“They can see examples of fields that women are not typically represented in,” Skinner said.

During the presentations, the girls are encouraged to ask questions. The groups are smaller and the girls get to interact with the speakers on a closer level, Skinner said.

“Girls can explore different types of careers by women who are successful in their chosen careers,” she said.

The girls will also be given the opportunity to see parts of the university that aren’t typically shown in a tour, Skinner said. This year, the girls will be given a tour of Barsema Hall and the archives of Founders Memorial Library.

“The goal is to have the girls learn as much as they can and show them examples of women who are successful,” Skinner said.

The event is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the NIU Women’s Studies Program.

NIU Conferece for Young Women

8:15 to 8:30 a.m.- Registration and Refreshments

8:30 to 9:15 a.m. – Welcome and Remarks

9:15 to 10 a.m. – Session 1: CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

10 to 11:25 a.m. – Session 2: TOURS

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Session 3: CAREER PANEL

12:30 to 1:20 p.m. – Lunch

1:20 to 1:45 p.m. – Evaluation and Conclusion