U.S. Congressman Jay Inslee paid a visit to Bothell’s North Creek Events Center May 31 to give area youths the scoop on math and science jobs during a career-exploration fair.
Attendees sampled treats from Maltby-based “green” business Snoqualmie Ice Cream while visiting with representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Washington State Police, the Department of Ecology and other related organizations.
“This event is based on optimism,” Inslee said. “It’s based on the idea that the Americans coming up behind us are going to do things just like we did with the space race. It’s my belief that some of the people in this room are going to be a part of the clean-air revolution, and the revolution of how we’re going to treat cancer, and how we’re going to deal with some of our social problems.”
Inslee, a Democratic congressman, has been a long-time advocate of the environment.
“This is very important for my job,” he said. “My job is to get America to develop a new energy system that doesn’t destroy the planet Earth through global warming.”
King 5 meteorologist Shannon O’Donnell was also present at the event to talk about her career and conduct experiments that demonstrated key principles of weather.
“I’ve found something that I really like to do,” she told the audience. “It’s not work. It’s just love, just about every day.”
O’Donnell encouraged youngsters to get active in pursuing their career interests by taking advantage of job-shadow opportunities.
“Think about what you could be doing this early to be attaining that goal early in life,” she said.
“It helps you get there much more easily.”
O’Donnell was one of several people at the event representing women in the traditionally male-dominated fields of math and science.
Inslee told the Reporter after the event: “We have a huge missing talent pool of women and girls in math and science. Getting them to see a role model for themselves can pay great dividends.”
Also representing women was Congressman Inslee’s daughter-in-law, Megan Inslee, who works as a forensic scientist with the Washington State Crime Lab.
“When I saw her coming up, I saw the spark in her eye of really believing in science,” Inslee said. “Now seeing what she’s doing in her professional life, it’s very exciting. We hope that spark will catch with some of the folks that are here today.”
Kenmore resident Pamela Herbert brought her daughters, Madi and Molly, to the fair.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity for my girls to see what’s available,” she said.
Inslee told the Reporter that he wants to make it easier for people to afford college so they can pursue their interests.
“This year, we passed a bill that will reduce the interest rate on student loans,” he said. “It’s a big, big deal for young people struggling to pay for college.”
Inslee also said he would like to repair some of the “broken parts” of the No Child Left Behind Act, specifically through funding and new approaches to special education.
When asked whether he would sign a pledge to run a carbon-neutral campaign like his Republican opponent Larry Ishmael, Inslee said:
“That’s a very interesting issue. I haven’t thought a lot about that. I’ll have to think about that. I’ve been a little more focused, frankly, in passing a cap-and-trade system than my campaign right now.”
