L.A.U.N.C.H. Spring 2023 Cohort

L.A.U.N.C.H. Spring 2023 Cohort hosted by Fortyx80, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Technology Council

The L.A.U.N.C.H. program transforms the natural curiosity of high school girls, in grades 10 and 11, into a voice of leadership in the STEM industry. Through our comprehensive program, high school girls will gain insight into their leadership style and be equipped with the confidence to pursue a successful career path in STEM. Through their engagement, our participants experience growth as leaders and exit the program prepared to create positive changes in their chosen career path.

"When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." ~ Audre Lorde

Who Should Apply: 10th and 11th Grade Girls interested in gaining career and leadership skills in the world of STEM. 

SPRING 2023 COHORT: *ALL PARTS OF L.A.U.N.C.H. ARE MANDATORY COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM.

Due date to apply: February 28

Chosen Participants Announced: March 2

Retreat: Point Park Rowland School of Business | Michael P. Pitterich Sales & Innovation Center | West Penn Hall Room 106,  14 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
March 24: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
March 25: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Virtual Meetings via Zoom 
April 4, 2023: 7:00-8:30 PM
April 11, 2023: 7:00-8:30 PM
April 18, 2023: 7:00-8:30 PM
April 25, 2023: 7:00-8:30 PM 

Field Trip/Job Shadow: Pittsburgh Technical College, 1111 McKee Rd, Oakdale, PA 15071
April 15, 2023: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM 

Final Celebration, In-Person: Alloy 26, Nova Place
May 17, 2023, 5:00-7:00 PM

L.A.U.N.C.H. Encompasses:

• Integration of the Janet Phan’s 5 Thriving Elements found in her book, Boldly You:
  • Show up for yourself
  • Be open-minded
  • Build your confidence
  • Be situationally aware
  • Be biased for action
• Utilizing the Birkman Method to focus interests and strengths into a career zone.
• Meaningful engagement with women professionals in STEM as mentors and advisors.
• Guest speakers on personal brand, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
• STEM based field trips customized to the interest of the cohort.
• Building of both peer and professional networks.
• Customized lessons aligned to the PA Career Education and Work standards.
• A capstone project in the form of a plan for entrepreneurship or plan for advocacy with the integration of tech.

L.A.U.N.C.H. APPLICATION Spring 2023

Mentors: 
As a female professional working in a STEM organization, we invite you to mentor these young women and encourage them to secure an active role in the future of STEM. Your commitment can be anywhere from 2-7 hours of volunteer time per cohort, spread out over 10 weeks, depending on your level of involvement.

A female working in a STEM organization can be a:
• Panelist during our opening retreat: “Female Leaders in STEM”
• Mentor to 3 young women for a Saturday afternoon, 30 minutes each
• Virtual Project advisor in the final week of the program

Past Mentors:
Our young women ladies of L.A.U.N.C.H. have the opportunity to work with female leaders in STEM from the following companies:

Shzoom
Snowflake
BNY Mellon
PNC
Innovation Works
Allegheny County Airport Authority
SESCO Ent.
FedEx
Viatris
Lucas Systems
UPMC
Snapology
Sheetz
DICKS Sporting Goods
Meta
Amazon
TeleTracking
Beamdata
Rockwell Automation

Contact Information:
For questions - Marie Pelloni, mpelloni@pghtech.org