Isishawaii: The Power Of One Plus One For Bringing Girls And Young Women Into The Science And Engineering Pipeline

In 2002, isisHawaii launched the first Hawaii-based online mentoring program to help local women network with other women in various professional fields. Since 2003, with a seed grant from The Women in Technology (WIT) Project (a statewide workforce development initiative funded in part by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Agriculture and Education), isisHawaii’s One+One eMentoring Program has provided support early in the education process, targeting pre-college female students seeking non-traditional careers in science and technology. This paper will discuss how isisHawaii and WIT effectively built upon available eMentoring models, including presidential award-winning MentorNet, to develop community-based, culturally appropriate and cost-effective programming that would have positive career implications for Hawaii’s girls and women. As it follows the One+One program from inception through its first three years, the paper discusses survey highlights, anecdotal findings and program revisions/enhancements that produced successful results.