SWLA Women in Industry Award Scholarships

by Kerri Cooke

SWLA Women in Industry, a program under the Lake Area Industry Alliance (LAIA), recently awarded $1,000 scholarships to four female high school seniors. The scholarships were given to women pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“We launched SWLA Women in Industry in the fall of 2023 and held our inaugural event earlier this year,” said Stephanie Huck, communications representative with Cheniere Energy. “We want to inspire and encourage female students to pursue careers in these STEM fields. Our local industries are made up of hundreds of female employees who work in a variety of fields, including laboratory, engineering, and operations. There are a lot of opportunities for great jobs right here in our region.”

One scholarship recipient is Kahlia Clark. Clark graduated from Starks High School and will attend McNeese State University to study medical laboratory science in hopes of becoming a physician’s assistant. She said being awarded the scholarship was “validating and encouraging.”

Clark’s desire to pursue medical science began in childhood when her mom, a nurse, educated her on the human body. Clark emphasized the scholarship will help her pay for college tuition, books, and also look good on her resume Clark applied for the SWLA Women in Industry scholarship earlier this year at the program’s first annual meeting. She said she is “not used to walking into a room where 99% of people are female,” and while her dad is a plant operator, there are no women in her family in industry. Clark said she now has a better understanding of the opportunities local industry provides and “wouldn’t write off” an opportunity if it would present itself.

Huck said she would “love to follow Kahlia through her career,” and even if Clark doesn’t end up in an industry job, “that’s not the point.” She emphasizes that 30 years ago a woman in industry was virtually nonexistent, so providing women with the resources they need to excel is a passion of hers.

Megan Landry, operations manager for Sasol and a McNeese graduate, said when she was Clark’s age she had “no industry connections,” so she seizes every opportunity she can to inform others about industry jobs and “empower women in STEM.”
Landry allows people to shadow her because “I didn’t know what chemical engineering was going to look like until three years into college.” She emphasized that programs such as Women in Industry allow experts to share their expertise and knowledge with the future workforce.

Jim Rock, executive director of LAIA, said the scholarships are another way to serve and give back to the community in addition to their regular e-recycling, Chem Expo and Partners in Education events.