On October 29th, the USCGAL (Upper St. Clair Girls Advancing Leadership) program held their first event for the public: a presentation given by Dr. Mary Parks-Lamb. Dr. Mary Parks-Lamb, who is an Upper St. Clair resident and the owner of Lamb Medical Concierge & Aesthetic Medicine, spoke about her college experience, her experience in the medical field, and her experiences balancing her career and her family. A number of Upper St. Clair residents attended the presentation, which was held at Boyce Middle School, and a small amount of students attended as well. 

Hannah Rieger, one of the students who attended Dr. Lamb’s presentation, was extremely impressed with the event: “I thought it was very inspiring. It was really eye-opening, and I really thought about how my life would progress.” USCGAL was created with the goal of inspiring girls in Upper St. Clair to take on leadership roles in their own lives, and it is clear from Hannah’s view of the presentation that the mission has been successful thus far. 

Giulia Gouker, an English teacher at Upper St. Clair High School and one of the driving forces behind the USCGAL initiative, shared her view regarding Lamb’s presentation: “I think that for a first event, for the first public event for USCGAL, I think that it was successful. I was pleased with the turnout, although I would have liked to have seen more people from the community and especially more students.” Because of the timing of the presentation, which was around 7:00 pm on a Tuesday, it is likely that a number of students were unable to attend either because of previous commitments or simply an inability to take time from their hectic week-day schedules. 

While the turnout could have been larger, Mrs. Gouker voiced her view that the smaller audience was undoubtedly the result of USCGAL simply being a newer organization: “I think that as our name grows, and as we attract more speakers, we’ll get more and more people to be interested in hearing other women’s stories.” Additionally, as USCGAL gains more members and regular volunteers, it is likely that they will be able to coordinate events and other programs on a greater scale. 

Upon conversing with Mrs. Gouker, she shared that she was excited for the prospects of USCGAL, especially regarding future events. USCGAL held a day-long program for female students earlier in the year, and Gouker shared her plans to hold another similar program in the near future as well. Whether through speakers and presentations or in-school student programs, it is evident that USCGAL is attempting to provide a welcoming and engaging environment for Upper St. Clair girls to develop their leadership skills.