Inside the Corporate World: Tamia Davis at ThoughtWorks

This summer, three of our Polished Pebbles had the opportunity to intern at ThoughtWorks. Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program strives to teach young girls professional communication, behavior, and dress to thrive in future work settings. An important part of that learning process is being in a professional work setting. These girls were able to apply their Polished Pebbles knowledge in the real world. We are proud of our young women! And we want them to share their experience with you.

Tamia Davis

My internship at ThoughtWorks was truly amazing! It gave me insightIMG_9890 into how a company runs from the inside. They really made me feel like I was part of their team. They gave us ID badges that we got to use everyday to enter the building. You never really know how something works until you have been placed in their shoes. ThoughtWorks, inside and out, is such an outstanding company and I’m glad I got to be a part of that experience with them! ThoughtWorks is not like any other company; they are unique and like no other. Everybody at the company is so friendly and did such a great job at making us feel welcome. 

During my six week adventure with ThoughtWorks I learned a numerous number of skills, such as coding, sourcing, and identifying different law documents. We even got to learn about the duties of facilities, the recruiting and hiring process, and how the money and expenses of ThoughtWorks gets reported. The first three weeks, my schedule was to go to legal contracts, lunch, and then recruiting. The second three weeks, I went to finance, lunch, and then facilities.

The most exciting part of the whole experience was prompting my first test for the new hires! I also loved how we switched into the four different departments and got to bond and learn about those departments. Another exciting part of the experience was that at the end of the program…they let us keep our MacBook Pro laptops that we did all our work on! The most challenging part of it all was trying to see what I was going to wear everyday.

Polished Pebbles has really opened up another door for me and I am so thankful to be part of such a fantastic organization. They really helped me when it came to introduction and making myself stand out so that I could leave a good impression, as I did with ThoughtWorks. I built relationships with the people there and made sure they will remember who I am. Overall, I am really grateful that I got to be part of the ThoughtWorks internship. Thanks to Polished Pebbles, my summer has been absolutely amazing and truly unforgettable!

Thank you, ThoughtWorks for providing our pebbles with such rewarding experiences!

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Representation Matters…#ThankYouDocMcStuffins

Have you heard of the trending #thankyoudocmcstuffins? Young African-American girls and their parents are sharing their Doc_mcstuffins_familyappreciation for a line of toys (and TV show) that feature a young, black girl as the lead! The Disney Junior Program “Doc McStuffins” brings a new face to popular media. With a doctor for a mother, young “Doc” inspires to be just like her and hones her skills on her toys! While the premise of the show is simple, its impact is anything but!

There are few African-American lead characters on popular television, let alone for children’s shows. “Doc” not only represents black youth, but young women as well! She shows girls that they can have a successful future in a STEM field–that they are more than capable! At Polished Pebbles, we are whole-heartedly approve of this representation in our media. Polished Pebbles strives to provide similar mentors and role models for our girls in the program. It is important that they can see themselves in positions they are working towards! We want more “Doc”‘s on our televisions! 

Click here for the Upworthy article on #thankyoudocmcstuffins…

Click here to view the twitter feed for the trending hashtag…

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Happy New Year With Bright Futures Ahead!

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Happy New Year!

We hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve to welcome in the exciting 2015! Thank you for all of those who have supported Polished Pebbles by donating to our girls. Your contributions will help fund activities, programs, transportation, and Polished Pebbles wear for the 2015 program year. For those still considering making a donation to Polished Pebbles, you can do so here online.

One of our partners, Microsoft, provides opportunities for technological experiences and education. Our girls give formal presentations to Microsoft staff and receive feedback. One of the Oakbrook Microsoft women we worked with, Megan Wright, even wrote an article on her partnership with Polished Pebbles! You can read it here.

As we look back on the year 2014 and the socio-political events that have affected African-American communities, it is important that we remember Polished Pebbles. Black girls are often forgotten as issues affecting them are not properly addressed compared to black boys. At Polished Pebbles, we are determined to be a positive intervention! We work against stereotypes to empower our girls to improve their situations and futures! Please join our partners, sponsors, volunteers, and mentors who have taken a stand with us by giving back! When you give, it benefits all!

If you missed last week’s post, check out our look back on our year with Polished Pebbles by clicking here.

Remember, with your help…TOGETHER SHE WILL SHINE!

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Hello bright and new 2015!

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A Look Back at Polished Pebbles 2014

As the year 2014 comes to a close, let’s take a look back on all that has happened with Polished Pebbles!

Watch this video of Polished Pebbles’ highlights…

For those who need a little refresher on what Polished Pebbles does for our community:

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Polished Pebbles (est. 2009) is a Chicago-based, nonprofit organization that mentors girls ages 7-17 on the effective life skill of communication. We help girls to become effective communicators at home, school, and the future workplace! We have worked with over 400+ volunteer mentors who have helped 1000 girls via 30 program sites to solve their problems rationally as opposed to retaliating and develop the confidence to: speak up in class, join groups and seek leadership positions, communicate effectively and respectfully with adults, have peaceful interactions with their peers, and prepare for future careers.

We have had 30 Chicagoland sites where we host our programs, including partnerships with Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Housing Authority, and University of Chicago Charter Schools.

We have 18 companies we partner with for 50+  job shadowing opportunities, including Bloomingdales, Microsoft Store, Chicago Sky, and Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Illinois.

For Polished Pebbles to keep supporting our girls, we need your help! Consider a one-time, monthly, or annual donation. Click here to support Polished Pebbles!