LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools’ Women of Worth conferences have been inspiring middle and high school girls since 2014.

The conference held on Friday was a special one. 

“Today is very exciting because this is the first time we’ve ever had an elementary school level Women of Worth conference,” says Jamie Issis, a JCPS youth services coordinator. 

Issis says being a woman of worth means being proud, brave, and resilient. 

During conferences, they motivate girls to make positive choices that will strengthen their life skills, help them overcome barriers, and support academic success. 

“My goal is to establish them young and as in fifth-grade move right into middle school and they can move right into the program in high school so they can have our whole experience as being a part of the woman of worth, and know their worth within JCPS and a sense of belonging within Jefferson County,” says Issis. 

About 300 fifth graders took part in healthy relationships and college and career readiness sessions led by Jefferson County Technical College and Ivy Tech Community College instructors.  

“It’s really important for us to establish our fifth graders to get used to the world of college and career so they can have that implemented in their heads, so when they go to middle school in high school, they have a vision,” says Issis. 

Indian Trail Elementary fifth grader Isabella Tchamake aspires to become a nurse.

“I like to help people and I’d really like to make the world a better place by helping people with different sicknesses,” says Tchamake. 

During the conference, she mapped out her goals and started thinking about ways to fund her nursing education. 

“It’s really important because I would like to grow up and graduate and have a job,” says Tchamale. “I would like to pay for my own college because I wouldn’t like my parents to pay for it because they will probably have a lot of things to do with at that time.”

She’s walking away from the conference with a plan, a new outlook, and, most importantly, seeing her worth. 

 “I learned how to overcome my weaknesses and I learned how to be more confident and not be shy,” says Tchamake. 

Every student received a copy of Michelle Obama’s “Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice.”  

They will hold the middle school Women of Worth conference on March 9, followed by the high school conference on March 10.