get college and career ready
BLING! A Summer Institute
Our family-friendly college and career readiness institute, BLING!, provides leadership coaching, career mapping, and interactively embeds visual storytelling of women in STEM with hands-on project-based learning. This grant-funded project of Texas Women’s Foundation features the IF/THEN® Collection - the world’s largest digital asset library of women STEM innovators!
— Current 9th-12th (Open to the public)
— No cost (Max. of 5 participants per group)
— 1 Year (4 quarterly meetings, all-inclusive)
— In-person (Girl Scouts STEM Center of Excellence, Dallas, TX)
— Virtual (Microsoft Teams + mail delivered Bling Box kit)
Engage with like-minded girls virtually or in person, by yourself, or with your family!
Application Requirements:
Online Registration through December 31, 2021
Mandatory Virtual Orientation (ongoing)
Primary Activities:
Engage in hands-on tasks aligned to grade-level, content centered around the session theme (4 themes: S, T, E, M)
Listen to career talks (live and recorded)
Take and review self-awareness assessments
Network with other girls and STEM women
Deliver team presentations to a virtual audience
Exercise and meditate during interwoven fun breaks
Supporting Activities:
Meet monthly with affinity groups to work on a collaborative project task
Complete individual journal once/month
Educate family members on your learning
Rewards & Recognition:
STEM Leadership Certificate
Other fun rewards and prizes
Graduation Ceremony
Exit Requirements:
100% completion of interim projects
100% attendance
About Texas Women’s Foundation
Texas Women’s Foundation is Transforming Texas for Women and Girls, empowering them to build stronger, more equitable communities. One of the world’s largest women’s foundations, the Foundation raises funding from a broad base of donors, including individuals, foundations and corporations. These resources support more than $7 million in investments that advance economic security and leadership for Texas women and girls through groundbreaking research, advocacy, grants and programs.
About the IF/THEN® initiative
Rooted in a firm belief that there is no better time to highlight positive and successful female professional role models, IF/THEN is designed to activate a culture shift among young girls to open their eyes to STEM careers by: (1) funding and elevating women in STEM as role models, (2) convening cross-sector partners in entertainment, fashion, sports, business and academia to illuminate the importance of STEM everywhere, and (3) inspiring girls with better portrayals of women in STEM through media and learning experiences to pique their interest in STEM careers.
“Find out who you are and be that person. That’s what your soul was put on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything else will come.”
– Ellen DeGeneres