WORLDWIDE / ONLINE CAMPUS
REWRITING
HERSTORY
Worldwide student Jamie Helander’s internship with the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI) helped amplify women’s voices to provide a more accurate picture of American history.
Jamie Helander (’21, ’23) wants to be an advocate for change in everything she
“It enriched the experience to not only understand women’s history but also what we could do to help right now,“ she said. Additional internship projects included gathering strategies and best practices to create a 20-page educator’s guide on engaging girls in STEM education. She also did extensive research on relatively unknown women in aviation and aerospace and created Wikipedia pages for them. “The Because of Her Story program is all about sharing the inspirational stories of women who have made an impact but have never been found out about,” said Helander. She stressed the importance of having mentors depending on the specific area of life you need help in and expressed her deep appreciation for her mentors at AWHI for reminding her of who she is. “They completely changed my life,” she praised. “I came in not the same Jamie I came out. I owe so much of me to them.” After graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, Helander began her master’s in Aviation and Aerospace Sustainability and now works as a transportation industry analyst for the Federal Railroad Administration. She knows her Embry-Riddle degree and internship experience helped her land her new position.
does. From creating a nonprofit to help smaller aviation nonprofits support youth education programming to getting involved with diversity, equity and inclusion in the transportation industry, she sees the future as more representative of the
world we live in. People-focused culture is what all facets of transportation need to absorb into company and industry culture right now to attract the next generation of the workforce. Helander was selected for the Smithsonian’s AWHI’s Because of Her Story internship, which focused on telling previously untold stories of American women who have yet to be heard, creating a more factual account of our nation’s history. Helander’s first project was a virtual, social media-based day commemorating Dr. Sally Ride’s historic spaceflight, as well as the women who were influenced by her. “We encouraged people to share how Sally Ride inspired them, and we got these amazing stories,” she said. Helander enjoyed designated intern days where she and her colleagues would read thought-provoking articles and share their thoughts with one another. She also appreciated the panel discussions with high-ranking employees on diverse topics.
Florida | Arizona | Worldwide/Online | embryriddle.edu | 29
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator