Since 2017, Gateway has run a Women’s Empowerment event around International Women’s Day, which is March 8. This event is a breakfast/lunch, in which women come in to discuss their passion, careers, and all they have done.
It started because Mrs. Eckstein and her colleagues were discussing instances of unfair treatment towards women in the workforce. They also noticed a low percentage of women in fields: such as politics, science, technology, and trades. Those realizations inspired them to create something proactive to celebrate International Women’s Day and to empower the girls at Gateway to do whatever their hearts desired, even if the field was male-dominated.
This year, Gateway had the pleasure of multiple women; including Jill Weber, who was the first speaker on Friday. Dr. Weber has accomplished many incredible things — being an archaeologist, restaurant owner, founder of the Sisterly Love Collective, wine taster, and mother all at once. Gateway also hosted Mary Fisher, who is a steamfitter tradeswoman, and Ashley Steinberg, who is not only a basketball referee and legal assistant, but also a two-time ovarian cancer survivor! Finally, Bridget Devine, who specializes in being the director of project services, and Donna Domico, a superintendent of utilities.
Mrs. Eckstein shared her favorite part of this event, “My favorite part of celebrating IWD is the inspiring energy in the room. I enjoy listening to the stories of the brave career leaders who volunteer their time to share experiences with the Gators. It’s fun to watch the faces of students especially when something a speaker says resonates with them. During this event, the majority of students are paying attention and not on their phones and for this day and age, that speaks to the importance of the event.”
Event-planning interns in G2C learn how to plan and execute the event, with the help of staff members such as Ms. Bially, Mr. Joyce, Ms. Ziegler, and even counselors like Ms. O’Connell. While it is a very heavily student-led event, everyone pitches in!
This year, senior and AP art student Allison Eckstein was asked to design the t-shirts. She made them with an octopus and a quote from Marilyn Monroe!
This event is a wonderful way to bring together all young lady Gators into one safe space, and to help them realize their full potential!
Below, are photos from the event! All photo credits go to Mrs. Eckstein and Ms. Powell.
Melissa Powell • Mar 31, 2025 at 2:04 pm
Excellent article!
Melissa D Eckstein • Mar 17, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Great article Hazel. Thanks for the interview and for highlighting International Women’s Day! Whoo hooo….