Dutchess BOCES

Six professional women, who work in fields traditionally dominated by men, came to Dutchess BOCES’ Career Technical Institute on March 24 to share about how they chose their respective careers and the challenges they overcame in honor of Women’s History Month.

Auto mechanic Carla Cinelli, electrician Lauren Lewis, BOCES Board Member Karen Smythe, formerly of HVAC contractor C.B. Strain & Son, Inc., conservation specialist and metalsmith Ellen Rand, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Priscilla Aponte and public safety dispatcher Stacy McGarry were the panelists. Construction Trades student Veronica Howard and Security & Law Enforcement student Blerta Krasniqi moderated the discussion. CTI Principal Nick Millas gave opening and closing remarks. “Our practice of supporting a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment will be communicated here with the hopes of inspiring the next generation of the female workforce,” Millas said. “For our local, state and national economy to be strong, we rely on a workforce of people from every walk of life.” Smythe is happy to give a woman the confidence to try their hands in any field because they need support as they work their way up. She added that perseverance is vital when hitting roadblocks. “I think there are way too many women who think they can’t or are told they can’t,” Smythe said. “You do have to dig in and do the work.” For Cinelli, her greatest obstacle was believing in herself because when she attended college for auto motive applied science, her male classmates she did not belong there told her. “It’s really important to have confidence in yourself – that you can do anything everyone else can do,” Cinelli said.