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OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- Gov. Olene S. Walker advised female students to find a career they would love to do and then work to be able to do that job.
Walker was the keynote speaker Thursday at the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College's Women's History Month convocation, which was in conjunction with the school's career.
Forty girls from Ben Lomond, Ogden, Washington and Roy high schools and nine students from Ogden's adult-education program took part. They went to different sites on the ATC campus to learn about cabinetry, machinery, electrical work, computer technology and computer animation.
"The idea is to give female high school students the opportunity to try something they've never considered," said Ogden-Weber ATC spokeswoman Jenny Everson.
Cabinet-making instructor Michael Foley helped students create wooden cutting boards for food preparation.
The students also created yo-yos, did electrical wiring and learned about computer hard drives.
"Technology would be a good program for me to get into because it's a different field than most girls choose," said Jaime Cain, a Roy High senior.
Walker said she never dreamed she would be the first woman governor of Utah but was prepared for the opportunity through her education.
"I hope more people, especially women, will be prepared for opportunities in their life," Walker said.
She has a doctorate and served in the Legislature,
Amelia Mitchell, a Weber State University senior majoring in automotive technology, told the female students it's difficult paving the way in a male-dominated field but worth it.
"I have to work a lot harder than the guys in the trade to prove myself," Mitchell said, but added she has benefited in doing so.
Her college has been fully funded by scholarships and she has her choice of job offers upon graduation, she said.
"Being a woman in a nontraditional field is truly an opportunity," Mitchell said. "Never give up."
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
