OUR GOALS:
Networking
To foster networking, an essential professional skill for early career development, among currently enrolled students and alumnae of Philadelphia High School for Girls.
Guidance
To provide professional guidance to current Girls High students in fields of interest via professional guidance in areas including but not limited to: coursework required, resume building, and early exposure to diverse opportunities.
Professional Exposure
Establish professional mentorship with Girls High alumnae who represent an expansive, diverse, global professional network where students may gain insight and experience into multiple fields including but not limited to the sciences, technology, engineering, arts, math and business.
FOUNDERS:
Erika Deppenschmidt
Erika graduated with the class of 257 and continued her education in Baltimore, MD where she attended Notre Dame of Maryland University. Here, she majored in chemistry and minored in mathematics. For a year, she interned at Johns Hopkins University and fell in love with pharmacology. She is now a 4th year Ph.D. Candidate in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York studying muscle stem cells.
Elizabeth De Jesus
Elizabeth graduated with the class of 252 and continued her studies in Philadelphia at Temple University where she majored in Psychology and Neuroscience. Upon graduating, she managed a laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania where she was exposed to translational biomedical research which guided her passion for medicine. She is now a 4th year Medical Student at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA, interested in a Surgical Career.
SISTERHOOD OF TRAVELING MENTORS BACKGROUND:
OUR STORY
Sisterhood of Traveling Mentors was founded in 2020 during the COVID19 epidemic by two graduates of the Philadelphia High School for Girls.
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Erika Deppenschmidt (GHS class of 2013, 257) is a 4th-year Ph.D. Candidate at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology program.
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Elizabeth De Jesus (GHS class of 2008, 252) is a 4th-year medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine with an interest in Surgery.
OUR VISION
Our vision for community support, strong mentorship and women empowerment has united us.
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We aim to facilitate Girls High mentorship via networking, guidance, and early professional exposure by activating the vast network of Philadelphia High School for Girls Alumnae. Through this access, students will gain insight, access and professional development in fields of interest.
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Through this mentorship we hope to establish a sense of tangibility and visibility to dream careers. We hope that young women actualize their career goals through a relationship with a mentor, from their high school in Philadelphia, which ultimately will manifest into attainment of their career goals. We anticipate that these connections between the mentors and mentees will be fruitful and rewarding for all involved.
OUR MENTORING METHOD
Our GHS mentors represent an international, diverse group of motivated professionals therefore we envision a mentoring platform that will primarily survive virtually through electronic communication technologies such as emailing, video conferencing, phone etc. However, we also strongly encourage mentors to meet in person and offer in-person professional exposure to fields of interest. This will vary depending on the mentor's primary location.