CINCINNATI (WXIX) – A Cincinnati woman is competing in a pitch-style competition at the University of Dayton to win money for her nonprofit.
Girls Career Awareness Network (Girls C.A.N.) founder Caroline Trennepohl says after she had a mentor change her life, she’s trying to share that experience.
“Just seeing the opportunities that are out there is vital for our young women, and quite honestly youth in general,” Trennepohl says.
After a mentor helped her find her passion, she started Girls C.A.N. an online nonprofit with mentors for young women to connect with nationwide.
Trennepohl says she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do in college.
“That really caused a lot of turmoil internally because I like to have decisions, I’m always trying to accomplish my passions and dreams, and I feel really lost and defeated,” Trennpohl said.
Today, her nonprofit aims to inspire future female leaders.
“We have 200 mentors, we’ve reached over 30,000 students, [and] been a part of about 11 schools,” Trennepohl explains.
One of the students, Sarah Dorme, received a scholarship from Girls C.A.N.
She says her mentor from the program impacted her life in many ways.
“It helped me feel seen, it helped me feel heard, and it helped me feel as if there’s going to be a lot of changes but maybe I meant to be here, and maybe psychology is a degree that I should pursue,” Dorme says.
She says her mentorship helped her realize her calling to be a crisis counselor.
“It’s an experience that is very personal, and it’s just so beneficial,” Dorme added.
Trennepohl says she competed on Saturday in a pitching competition at the University of Dayton where she can win up to $10,000 to help GIRLS C.A.N.
“I want to use that money to develop a more robust mentorship program as well as spending that money on the tech side to have more tracking and training,” Trennepohl says.
She also says that mentoring goes deeper than career progression.
“I think something that we’re struggling with in the state of Ohio but really all over is mental health with our youth and this directly correlates to that, because if you don’t have a purpose or passion and you feel lost in your career path, you are more likely to fall into those negative statistics,” Trennepohl says.
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Source: Local woman competes in pitch competition to help her non-profit
