When I read the advertisement for the position of research assistant (the position which grew into my present position), I had three questions. First, though this position looked as though it could have been designed for me, I wondered, would I really have the opportunity to do statistical work, use my research, writing, and editing skills, and support girls and young women in valuing and developing all their interests all at once? Second, I asked, could I juggle full-time work with a husband, two daughters, and a third on the way? Third, I wondered, whoever gets a job from a newspaper ad?

A month later I was editing a report on opportunities and encouragement given to girls to explore math, science, and technology (released on the day my youngest daughter was born). And I was compiling and analyzing survey data on Girls Incorporated affiliates and on the girls and young women they serve. And I was immersing myself in statistics on adolescent pregnancy and substance abuse, data I would possibly use for future publications. Five years later, I still enjoy working on a minimum of three projects at once. Sometimes it is overwhelming, but never boring.

Girls Incorporated (formerly Girls Clubs of America) each year serves 350,000 young people ages six through 18 through a network of local affiliates and outreach programs.