NIU wants young women to be aware of their career options not only in fields heavily dominated by women, but also in those careers stereotypically held by men.

To do this, NIU will hold the 2003 Conference for Young Women on Wednesday at the Holmes Student Center.

It is aimed toward sophomore- to senior-aged high school women who are thinking about their career goals, said Jolene Skinner, program coordinator for Women’s Studies.

“The conference exposes high school women to career opportunities and provides them with the chance to see what college life can be,” Skinner said.

The conference will have speakers from different departments presenting on their fields and a career panel to answer questions as well as tours of Barsema Hall, the Observatory at Davis Hall and the Writing Center.

Anthropology professor Judy Ledgerwood will present at the conference about opportunities in the field of anthropology, her personal experiences and what researchers in this field do.

“It’s better to start women thinking young about what they want to do to give them a sense of self-confidence,” Ledgerwood said.

A wide range of fields will be discussed to make young women aware of different careers, including those that used to be dominated by men, such as anthropology, law and physics, said Anne Petty, Liberal Arts and Sciences program coordinator.

“The students will get a chance to work with NIU students and staff, showing them that they can be successful just like many women here on our campus,” Skinner said. “Women still aren’t represented in a lot of fields, so we are trying to encourage these opportunities.”