Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program

Please Note: After thoughtful consideration, the Department of Administration has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program in order to allow for continued social distancing and the certainty of the safety of all participants.  The success of the program is dependent on mentorship opportunities and job shadowing, hands on enrichment activities, and travel to various work sites.  We are thankful for the collaborative efforts across state government to make this program possible and we are looking forward to continuing the Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program in the future. All applicants will be notified of this decision and encouraged to reapply next year. For the latest updates on North Carolina's response to COVID-19, visit the NC Department of Health & Human Services information portal.

Application Period for 2020 Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program Now Closed

The Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program is a 5-week summer enrichment opportunity for high school girls in North Carolina who are interested in exploring careers in science, technology, engineering, and/ or mathematics within state government. The 2020 Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program lasts from June 15, 2020 to July 17, 2020. Females who have completed 9th grade are eligible to apply. Students must complete an application in order to be considered for the program. 

Mission Statement

To serve as an educational steppingstone into North Carolina state government, focusing on high school girls and encouraging careers within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Purpose

Based on Governor Roy Cooper's NC Job Ready Initiative and data from the 2018 Status of Women in NC: Employment and Earnings Report, released by the NC Department of Administration's Council for Women and Youth Involvement in collaboration with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program offers beyond the classroom learning to North Carolina's youth, preparing them for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The program also nurtures the interest of STEM-related fields among high school girls to ultimately reduce the growing disparity in employment and earnings among women and men in North Carolina, particularly in STEM-based careers.

Goals

• Provide high school girls an opportunity to experience state government
• Foster continuing education and learning post-graduation
• Cultivate individual career goals within state government and in STEM careers

How to Apply

The period to submit applications for the 2020 summer program has ended. The deadline to submit an application and documents was Friday, March 13, 2020. 

Questions

To learn more about this opportunity including criteria to participate as a mentee, please contact Program Coordinators, Candace Dudley or Emily Roach. 

2019 Lady Cardinals

(Top Row, From Left to Right) Trinity Garza, Katherine Johnston, Brooke Chow, Zora Banks, and Taylor Davis

(Bottom Row, From Left to Right) NC DEQ Secretary Michael Regan, Layla Hamilton, Denette Thompson, Marissa Colbert, and DOA Secretary Machelle Sanders

(Not Pictured) Melissa Mavhura