Wescom CU empowers daughters through daylong event

<p>PASADENA, Calif. – Wescom Credit Union has recently celebrated “Take Our Daughters to Work” Day. The $2 billion credit union treated about 30 daughters of Wescom employees to a daylong list of events at headquarters while individual branches offered job-shadowing programs. The day featured guest speakers from the Pasadena Police Department and Huntington Memorial Hospital. Commander Marilyn Diaz, a 28-year veteran, shared her experiences as Pasadena’s first female officer and Registered Nurse Jeannie Badisher, spoke on the merits of her job and the medical field. The girls also participated in a marketing/advertising project where they created slogans and mock billboards promoting various products. “Wescom really wants to make sure our Wescom daughters know there is a place for them in Corporate America and in any profession,” said Claudia Markarian, Wescom CU human resources recruiter. “We want them to know what women ahead of them have done and that there is a career path for them.” In addition to hearing about the importance of self-confidence and achievement, the girls, ages 9 to 15, indulged in makeovers from Origins Skin Care. Receiving free consultations on skin care and make-up applications, the girls agreed the makeovers were the best part of the day. “It helps us as we grow and make our career decisions,” said 12-year-old Alexis Williams, daughter of Wescom CEO Darren Williams. “I really liked the speakers. I wanted to be a nurse before I came to this. Now, I’m more confident and really want to be a nurse.” Next year, Wescom boys will join in the fun during the “Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day.” The idea, created by the Ms. Foundation, is to bring girls and boys together so they can “learn to work together to bring about a more equitable world at home, at school and in the workplace.”</p>