Our Leaders Take Time to Inspire Young Minds

“Something that stood out and appealed to me was the activity about building your own bridge out of paper, balloons and tape”, said Givanna Puran, New Hyde Park High School student. “This experience enlightened me by creating a bridge with the smallest amount of materials. It definitely showed me that small things can have a significant impact.”

On March 20, the Melville Hub was buzzing with young women seeking leadership skills advice from our own leaders. The day’s activities were designed to inspire the next generation of empowered women. Fifty-four 10th, 11th and 12th graders from New Hyde Park, Connetquot and Sewanhaka high schools attended the Young Women’s Leadership conference that we co-hosted with Junior Achievement.

Kicking off the event was Keith Rooney, Director of Customer Management, Government Relations and Community, discussing his own journey, including how the women in our workplace have inspired him throughout his career.  He also talked about the company’s commitment to equality, and our emphasis on sexual harassment policy under the current climate.

The young women were placed into three groups for break-out sessions on …

Panel discussions focused on getting exposed to different careers by learning the background on each of our employee panelists, getting recommendations on evaluating strengths and weaknesses, gaining valuable experience, and becoming self-sufficient.

Business Communications to learn about social media, personal branding, resume tips, written correspondence and the importance of networking.

Team building in a bridge building activity using balloons, paper and tape. The activity helps build communication, problem solving and leadership skills.

And then, of course, room for a bit of balloon tossing/passing fun …

Clara Giustino, Vice President, Project Development and Capital Delivery, closed out the day telling the students about her own career path as a female engineer; leaving a great impression. The young ladies left our facility with smiles, talks of coming back next year and loads of excitement of building on the skills they learned throughout the day.

Special shout out to all the leaders who took part in this wonderful event:

Brian Varga – (Junior Achievement Board Member), Alanna Russo, Shandy Arroyo, Courtney Acker, Sarah Kahrs, Rossalyn Quaye, Juana Silverio, Shelly Gonsalves, Jennifer Papazian, Cheryl Passee, Aimee Polizzotti, Therese Sullivan, Monica Guido, Susan Montano, Lauren Perry

About National Grid

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company that supplies the energy for more than 20 million people through its networks in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates the systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain. 

National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions. Read more about the innovative projects happening across our footprint in The Democratization of Energy, an eBook written by National Grid’s US president, Dean Seavers. 

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