Grace McMillan, left, and her mother, Saundra Walker, both struggled in school, and then dropped out when they became pregnant. Now, decades later, they're attending classes together to try to get their GED diplomas.

Grace McMillan, left, and her mother, Saundra Walker, both dropped out when they became pregnant. Now they're taking classes together to get their GED diplomas. Photo courtesy WAMU.

WAMU: American University’s radio station posted an enlightening reflection piece about two women, a mother and daughter, who never graduated from high school, and how that changed the course of their family’s future. Both generations of women had big dreams and career aspirations, but both ended up dropping out of high school when they became pregnant. They struggled through the years to hold jobs and make ends meet without having a diploma, and both had the experience of watching their child walk down the same path. Parents are always a child’s first and most important teacher. When a parent isn’t able to guide his or her child through school, it’s harder for the young person to figure out a path in life. That’s where organizations like Communities In Schools come in. Our site coordinators provide students with the resources they need to succeed in school, and parents with resources that help them support their children’s education.

Washington Post: Stephanie Hill, president of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions-Civil division, is considered by her friends and family to be a “people person.” So when she originally decided to pursue a career in engineering, she was met with incredulous stares. While the need for skilled engineers grows in the United States, it is still a career path rarely tread by women. In April, a study by the Congressional Joint Economic Committee revealed that only 27 percent of individuals working in computer science and math positions in the United States are women. Hill believes that promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects to female students both inside and outside the classroom is the best way to make sure that America continues to have a healthy workforce. Communities In Schools of Seattle works closely with the Danna K. Johnston Foundation, which runs a popular program called “Successful Youth.” A group of people—students, mentors and community leaders—meet regularly to participate in confidence-building activities and discuss the role of women in the fields of science and technology.

The Nonprofit Times: We know that the value of volunteers to a community is immeasurable. But in terms of dollars, how much is their time truly worth? According to Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations and corporate giving programs, the value of an hour of a volunteer’s time in 2011 was worth approximately $21.79. This is up about 2 percent from 2010. During the 2010-2011 school year, nearly 50,000 volunteers across the Communities In Schools network donated 1.7 million hours of service – a dollar value of just over $35 million.

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