MUKILTEO — Ariana Sagali wasn’t on track to graduate high school last year.
Now, she has more credits than she needs, and a career plan.
That’s because the Marysville Getchell High School senior joined the Work Force Development Center at Paine Field in Everett, where she builds airplane parts. She earns a paycheck and credits. She hopes to keep working there after she graduates.
Girls ages 12 to 16 are invited to visit the center this summer, and learn from women who work in the aerospace industry. The summer camp, called Cool Girls in Aerospace, is three hours per day from August 14 to 17.
“Aerospace is an industry that was historically dominated by men. I feel like in any industry like that, it’s important to have women in it,” Sagali said. “There are so many careers in aerospace that a lot of women don’t see or really hear about, because it’s not really promoted as something women normally do.”
Three days are spent at the Washington Aerospace Training and Research Center, also at Paine Field, which is part of Edmonds Community College. Girls get a tour of the workshop and weld a keepsake.
They’ve been invited to the center almost every other summer since 2012, said the center’s executive director Larry Cluphf. The city of Mukilteo started sponsoring the camp in 2016.
“People have stereotypes of what working in aerospace looks like, and we’re trying to break those,” Cluphf said.
Girls spend one day at the Work Force Development Center. They’ll pair up with young women, like Sagali, who work on plane parts.
The center’s workforce is about 50 percent Snohomish County high school students. Most of the parts they build go to Boeing.
Everett High School senior Hannah Allie knew she wanted a career in aerospace. She went to a job fair and met with a couple of organizations. Once she found the development center, she thought, “This one is the one.”
Many students don’t know much about the field before they start. That was the case for ACES High School senior Michelle Torkelson.
Torkelson moved out of her parents’ house this year, and a friend said the teachers there might provide guidance.
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of confidence, career-wise and skill-wise,” she said. “My character has changed a lot ever since I’ve come here.”
One day she hopes to build outer-space equipment for Boeing.
Daniela Espinoza, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School, also didn’t know much about aerospace. Someone came to her school to talk about the center.
“Girls can do what guys do. You know, everyone is equal, so I try to prove that I can do it,” she said.
Apply for Cool Girls in Aerospace at mukilteowa.gov by June 12. Ten girls will be selected to join the free camp. Priority is given to Mukilteo Boys and Girls Club and YMCA members.
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
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