Girls And Science Mentors Offer Advice To Girls, Inc. Members: 'Be Flexible, Be Curious'

DENVER (CBS4) - With Girls & Science going virtual, CBS4 teamed up with Girls, Inc. of Metro Denver to hold a Community Conversation with the four mentors hosted by Mekialaya White.

Megan Mountford works for Ping Identity as an Enablement Lead, Karen Casey is a Technical Director at Raytheon Intelligence & Space, Dagmar Kress is an aviation instructor at MSU Denver as well as the coach of the college's Aerobatic Team and Lauren Gilliland is the Senior Director of Colorado Gas Operations for Xcel Energy.

The women spent an evening talking with six members of Girls, Inc., all of whom participate in the organization's Eureka! STEM program. They are in 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grades.

The girls had lots of questions about how the women got into their careers and the challenges they have faced along the way.

One message that came across loud and clear, be sure to think outside of the box.

Gilliland shared that when she started college she wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do but a friend suggested she take a look at utilities. "I think it's something that's different. A lot of people don't think about utilities being part of the science and STEM network but we have a huge part of what we do every day."

That flexibility is something Kress also said was important to her. While she feel in love with flying as a girl, she actually earned her degree in business before returning to her first love. "I think what I did, I always took an opportunity when it presented itself. So you can also say I didn't stick my plan because I changed around a little bit."

Mountford echoed those feelings about being flexible when it comes to career paths. "Keep yourself open to opportunities in the future. When I was a teenager, I wanted to go into medicine. I didn't end up going that path, I ended up working in technology roles." She went on to say the advice she would have given a younger self is simple, "I would have told myself, be open to learning and keep being curious."

When it came to challenges, the women told the girls to make sure they made their voices heard and not to be afraid about believing in themselves on the job.

Casey said as a woman in a very high position in her company, she knows the importance of having confidence in yourself and encouraged the girls to think about how they would handle future issues.

"You're working with someone in your future careers and it is difficult for them to follow your lead, maybe check the environment around you. Don't question your own leadership. Don't question your own abilities."

"As you're going through your career, don't be afraid to get your voice out there. One of my favorite songs is Katy Perry 'Roar' I hope some of you are Katy Perry fans, I'm not even embarrassed about how much I love her music, but don't be afraid to roar."

Mountford agreed that belief is important. "Go into it, your career with confidence. You were hired for a reason. You know what you know and what you've learned and to just go into with confidence and everything that you have."

Kress said her path to Denver and her work teaching others to fly might not have been what she intended but the journey was one of love, curiosity and bravery. "Just go for it. If there is something that interests you, just go for it and explore it and you will find a way to do it."

But time and again, the conversation turned to the advice to be open to possibilities the girls might not have ever considered until they spark a flare.

"Work towards the starting point at undergrad when you're starting but make sure it's what you want to do," Gilliland told the girls. "Make sure that 's where you want to go and you might change course and see something else out there that you like even better."