A new club, the Women In Diverse Occupations or WIDO, has been formed on the Bakersfield College campus.
The club is a place for women to inspire each other and support each other in fields that are primarily dominated by men. The members of this club are majoring in careers such as automotive, engineering and welding, among many others.
“This club is open to anyone, but mainly women who are in careers that are diverse, like woodworking, welding, or manufacturing,” said club adviser Steve Hageman.
The club’s purpose is to encourage women to get involved, and to encourage them to follow their dreams regardless of what people may think or say.
“Whatever road blocks you see, we can knock them out,” said Hageman.
Women who are in the club also qualify for scholarships and internships in the careers of their choice.
Dominica Rivera-Dominguez helps the members of this club gain knowledge of what scholarships are available to them and how they can apply for these awards. She also focuses on finding them internships where they can expand their knowledge in the fields of their choice.
“Right now, through the Financial Aid office, we have the automotive scholarship,” said Rivera-Dominguez. “In our office I work at the Career Development and Workforce Preparation. We do advising, we offer internships, and we also want to focus on the women so we offer one internship in welding, and four or five internships in automotive. There are also internships available [through] Chevrolet.”
“I would definitely work for Chevy in just a heartbeat,” said Lindsay Berryman, WIDO vice-president.
This club is meant to encourage women to follow their dreams, and to network together to build resources around them.
“I feel like I can connect with other women who share a passion in automotive and welding,” said Berryman. “That really helps to motivate you. I’m just as capable as the men.”
Berryman plans to encourage women to attend the club and to help them gain confidence in what they want to do.
“If you have that passion in anything industrial related, whether it’d be automotive, manufacturing, welding, just go for it, and don’t care what other people think,” said Berryman. “A lot of women tend to be deterred because they’re going to think ‘oh, I don’t like the fact that people think I’m different,’ but you can’t think of it that way.
“You just got to be yourself and do what you want to do. Follow your passion in life,” said Berryman.
The club plans to have activities where they can help others. Some of their ideas include changing oil and air filters for those who can’t afford it, and helping people clean their houses, or their yards.
The club plans to meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at 9:30 a.m. in the FACE building in room 16.