Take one shy girl. Send her to Tech Trek Camp. What’s the result? A leader.
At least that’s what happened when Alisha Martinho received a Tech Trek campership from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Oakdale-Riverbank-Escalon Branch the summer before she entered eighth grade.
When recently asked how she was changed by Tech Trek, Martinho, now a junior at Oakdale High School replied: “Before going to Tech Trek I was very shy. I didn’t like to speak in front of people, but at Tech Trek, I made new friends, became more outgoing and today I am very social. At school I am involved in Leadership and sports and am Vice-President of the Junior Class.”
She added that her best subjects are math and science.
“At Tech Trek the math and science we learned was so fun and I still find solving equations fun. Attending Tech Trek has also influenced my future career path,” Martinho said. “I want to go into the medical field.”
Being a Tech Trek alum means so much to Martinho that she will be volunteering her help at the upcoming AAUW Fall Fundraiser on Oct. 21 so that other girls from the Oakdale, Riverbank, and Escalon communities can attend Tech Trek also.
Tech Trek is a seven-day math/science camp designed to develop interests and excitement in young women preparing to enter eighth grade.
This year AAUW, ORE’s Fall Fundraiser is set for Sunday, Oct. 21, at 4 p.m. at the Gene Bianchi Center, 110 S. Second Ave., Oakdale. It will raise funds for the local Branch’s Tech Trek, Speech Trek, Scholarship and Fund programs that tie into AAUW’s goals of helping women and girls reach their full potential. As in the past attendees can enjoy some beer, wine or sparkling cider as they peruse the themed baskets and silent auction items that some lucky winners will take home that evening. There will be appetizers and the opportunity to bid on several live auction items, including a quilt, a golf foursome at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club and a trip for four on a 34-foot Catalina Sail Boat in San Francisco Bay.
A recent British film about a scandalous friendship that develops between Queen Victoria and a young Indian clerk near the end of Victoria’s reign will conclude the afternoon’s activities.
Donations for the fundraiser are $25 per person. Tickets are available from any Oakdale-Riverbank-Escalon (ORE) member of AAUW or by emailing the branch at AAUW.ORE@gmail.com. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. Since 1881, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day – educational, social, economic and political. Graduates holding an associates or higher degree from an institution of the AAUW list of qualified institutions and persons holding an honorary degree are eligible for membership in AAUW. For further information about AAUW, log on to www.aauw.org. Information about AAUW, ORE is at http://ore-ca.aauw.net or by emailing the branch at AAUW.ORE@gmail.com.
