Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program
Friday, January 24, 2025

Application Period Now Open for State Government Summer STEM Program High school girls interested in STEM-related public service careers can apply through Feb. 24

Established in 2019 by the NC Department of Administration’s Council for Women and Youth Involvement, the Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program provides college bound girls an opportunity to explore STEM-based careers within state government to help recruit more young women into these fields.
Raleigh
Jan 24, 2025

The application period for the annual Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program is now open. North Carolina high school girls, grades 9-12, can now apply through February 24, 2025 for this four-week paid summer STEM enrichment opportunity with North Carolina state government. Established in 2019 by the NC Department of Administration’s Council for Women and Youth Involvement, the Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program provides college bound girls an opportunity to explore STEM-based careers within state government to help recruit more young women into these fields.

According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, women comprised 35% of the science, technology, engineering and mathematic workforce in 2023 and continued to earn less than their male counterparts. Each year, the Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program seeks to improve gender equity in STEM by nurturing the interest of high school girls in STEM-related public service careers.

“The statistics are disheartening and, if left unchanged, the gender wage gap will not begin to close until year 2060 based on data collected from the Status of Women in North Carolina Employment and Earnings Report,” said NC Department of Administration Secretary Gabriel J. Esparza. “The Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program seeks to improve the outlook for North Carolina women, allowing local students to actually see what they can be in state government STEM careers.”

Interested students can visit the DOA website for Lady Cardinal program and application information. Candidate interviews will occur mid to late March and selected applicants will be notified of placement in April. The mentorship program will run weekdays July 7 through August 1.

All mentees are expected to work 40 hours a week, with time divided between working side-by-side with women leaders 24 hours per week and working on a group project 16 hours each week. The summer enrichment opportunity also includes lunch and learn sessions and field trips to various state government agencies. Students will earn a $1,700 stipend at the end of the program.

This year’s participating state agencies include the departments of Administration, Commerce, Environmental Quality, Health and Human Services, Information Technology, Natural and Cultural Resources, Public Safety, Revenue and Transportation, as well as the Governor’s Office, the Office of State Budget Management and the Office of State Human Resources.

In addition to working on a technology project, last year the Lady Cardinal mentees participated in a geology tour with the NC Department of Environmental Quality, visited Research Triangle Park’s Biogen Campus, and engaged in lunch and learn sessions with state government leaders among many other educational activities.

The Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program’s purpose and goals are based on recommendations from the 2018 Status of Women in NC Employment and Earnings Report released by the Council for Women and Youth Involvement in collaboration with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The report highlights the growing disparity in employment and earnings among women and men in North Carolina.

Learn more about this report and apply for the summer 2025 Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program on the NCDOA website.

About NCDOA and the NC Council for Women and Youth Involvement
The N.C. Department of Administration acts as the business manager for North Carolina state government. Under the leadership of Secretary Gabriel J. Esparza, the department oversees government operations and advocacy programs. The department's advocacy programs help to promote and assist diverse segments of the state's population that have been traditionally underserved. NCDOA’s Council for Women and Youth Involvement division advises the governor, state legislators and state leaders on issues that impact women and youth.