Ms. Weigel is a buisness teacher here at the highschool. She also is the one who leads the BPA.
-How is it being in a male-dominated career?
I mostly felt it when I was in college courses for my bachelors and at the job I did when I was going to college. With it being such a male-dominated industry, I had to voice my opinions much more to be fully heard or felt at times that I had to prove my knowledge.
-Has your gender ever impacted your experiences within the business sector?
My first experience with business was growing up with my dad running his own construction-related businesses. He made me feel like I had the motivation and determination to go into a business related field. I also worked for him in college to do his accounting/finances and did not feel treated differently during that time. I also worked at a local business while in college and this was when I first experienced gender discrimination from some of the customers at times simply because I was a woman working at a hardware store. They [Management] thought my male coworkers knew more than me simply due to my gender despite growing up in the construction related industry. It definitely makes me see some things from a different perspective because of my gender but these situations only make me more determined to show my skills and knowledge to others.
-What were your struggles in college?
In college, most of my business courses were about 3/4 males to 1/4 females. Sometimes I would get frustrated with this because I felt out of place in comparison, but at other times it didn’t faze me because no matter what, I was still learning about what interested me and making new friends along the way.
-What is BPA? What does creating BPA do for you and your students? How can you join?
BPA stands for Business Professionals of America and it is a club that brings students interested in the business, computer science, and health industry together. We compete in different competitions related to these industries. When we are not getting ready for state or national BPA competitions, we go on various business field trips and meet with local business professionals. Being a part of it is great on college applications and resumes because in BPA you learn to collaborate, present, organize, be creative and so much more! For myself, it gives me the chance to work more with the students who are very interested in business and coach them to thrive in that area. It also gives me the chance to see my students in a new light and watch them continue to mature and grow. To join, simply reach out to me (room 23-015) or contact our President: Emilio Garcia-Fording or Vice President, Saxby Stein.
-Why did you switch career options?
I did at one point think about being an accountant, but for the most part I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I have stayed true to that and got my bachelors in Business Education and my Masters in Business administration.
-How do you encourage or inspire your female students to see themselves in the field?
I think this has grown easier throughout my teaching because there continues to be more females in business. I point out their strengths and encourage them to try new business classes to learn more about the area. I also talk about various businesses whether male or female owned to give them examples of real life business opportunities they could do.
-Are there any struggles you have in the classroom?
Every teacher has struggles, but my biggest one is honestly caring about my students’ success sometimes more than some of them do.
-What has been your most fulfilling moment of being a teacher?
My most fulfilling moment as a teacher is not one exact moment,t but rather the moments I see concepts click in students’ heads. It gets them more excited and creative with examples or projects.
-Why teach?
I teach to inspire them to do more and push them to see that they can do it if they put their minds to it. Plus, I enjoy making connections with my students and seeing them grow throughout their high school career.
