HI All,

We had inspiring event at Microsoft !! It was great from beginning to end. The girls were uplifted and fulfilled in so many ways and left feeling like their opportunities were expanded beyond anything they could imagine before they arrived. The women at Microsoft made us feel so welcome and they were able to communicate their devotion to the girls in everything they did. The school counselors were so delighted in the event, and they do work unwaveringly in their continued support for IGNITE. It was a very special day.

I want to thank Janice Hunter for making the tour and lunch set up for us and continuing her support each and every time. She wants the girls to get the information and makes sure she communicates it with her enthusiasm and affection for the young women.

Thank you to Flora Goldthwaite who led the Home of the Future tour for us. She personalized the technology for the girls in a series of riveting examples. The girls oohed and aahed their way through the home, seeing the fabulous ramifications that the technology will bring them in their homes in the future. Also, Flora helped them realize that they could be designing these products and she made sure they could understand how many different careers it took to put together these exhibits and how many different careers they could pursue which would also relate to each of their personality types. There is a career for every interest and person in high tech. Wow, Flora, you out do yourself each and every time!! Thank you for all you do!

Thank you to all the women who attended the Presentation lunch! It was such an exceptional presentation event. You all were able to distill your experiences into a focused message to give maximum impact in a limited amount of time. You offered the girls information, ideas and inspiration for a bright future. Thank you for making this event memorable and uplifting for these girls. You are all remarkably, gifted and tremendously generous. I want to thank Sharon Carroll, Content Publisher, Justine Vick, Network Architect, Sue Kurian, CPE Manager, Layla Driscoll, Program Manager, Betsy Norton-MIddaugh,Sr. Program Manager, Cathy Moya, User Experience Lead, Cathy Swenson, Software Development Engineer, Katy Jo Meyer, Profession Capability and Development Consultant.

Thank you to Barbara Quintana, Career Center Specialist for South Lake and Rainier Beach HS. Barbara is unwaveringly supportive of the ignite mission and always there to do anything that will help students. WE are extremely lucky to have her and so are the kids!! Thank you to Susan Nyman, 9th grade Counselor at West Seattle High school who just joined IGNITE this year! Susan thank you for helping bring West Seattle girls to this ignite event. Thank you for stepping up and volunteering to be the IGNITE Coordinator at WS this year. We really appreciated your efforts.

Here are the girls comments from the evaluations forms.

• That I shouldn't give up and I heard that 3 times so it got me thinking.
• The event was perfect.
• I hope you do this for high school students every year, because it will help them to learn more things and recognize their future careers.
• I thought this event was executed exponentially. This event was amazing.
• I liked the event and the women we met really encouraged me to go into the technology field.
• I wlll pursue more science and math to improve my skills.
• Well, It was just everything that was great, because I never ever heard this before and it was really helpful.
• It is a wonderful event. Thank you so much for having us here!
• I was amazed how many different positions there are at the Microsoft company.
• I want to do all the other ignite events.
• Just keep up the good work because I think you are doing a great job.
• Someone on the panel did not graduate high school and then went back to school and I was really inspired by that.
• You guys are doing just right!
• It was great, and I would do it again.
• It was just awesome and there was so much good information.
• The question session at lunch was very insightful. It was comforting to see that nontechnically oriented careers are available at technical companies. Not all the women had tech degrees and each one had a rich educational background.
• I thought the home tour was very interesting, and I loved listening to the panel of career women. There advice and experiences opened up my mind about all the opportunities open to me. It was great knowing that all these women weren't necessarily brilliant at math or science.
• The best thing I heard today was to never give up on the thing you want to do in your life.
• I learned about all the different kinds of careers there are at Microsoft. That was inspiring.
• The trip was great and I loved everything about it.
• It was awesome and I would like to come again in the future.
• I would like to see more events involving the gaming industry.
• I loved it all!!
• I learned that when women are involved in the production of a product from the beginning, the end result will be a product that would work for women and men both. Women need to be more involved in designing products.
• I liked that the house was talking and I loved the teenage room.
• I really liked the house of the future and it made me think about all the careers that are available at Microsoft.
• I liked hearing how the women got to where they are now.
• I felt right at home in the house of the future. And I realized that I should never give up and I should keep on going.
• The guest speakers think about the future all the time and so do I.
• The house of the future was great and the women we met were so nice and so dedicated.
• I liked seeing the technology that will come in the next five years. And the women I met were so encouraging.
• Wow, everyone should get to visit the Home of the Future, because you can't imagine the things they have in there.
• I liked learning about future of technology and what to expect in college.

Thank you everyone!
Cathi