Girls explore their career options at WNC

After crash courses in welding, engineering, graphic design and biology, 14-year-old Dawn Dines of Fernley High School said she was starting to get a better idea of what she might want to be when she grows up.

"We're seeing different careers than what you normally see," she said. "It's different than just like nursing and teaching."

About 150 ninth-grade girls from Carson City and nearby counties attended Western Nevada College's second annual Dream Big: Women in Nontraditional Careers workshop Friday.

The grant-funded exhibition introduces the girls to about a dozen careers where women are typically underrepresented. Girls must apply by writing an essay, and school counselors choose who will attend.

Welding instructor Randy Naylor gave the girls a demonstration on plasma cutting, then let them try it for themselves.

"We've got a lot of women up here" at WNC, he said. "We have success in placing them."

Rikki Markwardt, 13, from Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School, tried welding for the first time.

"It was really fun," she said. "It's easier than I thought it was going to be."

Elizabeth Tattersall, biology instructor, taught the students about the function of the heart, then let them dissect a sheep's heart.

"I love it," she said. "Now is when we want to get them interested. They'll be more successful if they get interested earlier in their high school career rather than later."

Toni Trout, 14, of Yerington High School, had never dissected an organ before Friday's demonstration.

"Even if you don't want to do that for a career, it's good to know how your heart works," Trout said. "It's a part of you."

Next year, the college may add something similar for 10th-grade boys to introduce them to possible careers.

"It's really exciting to see young minds waking up," said Anne Hansen, spokeswoman for the college.