Women in Industry Forum Inspires High School Students to Explore Industry Careers

Click here to see photos from the event

GBRIA's Women in Industry Forum invites high school students to explore careers in industry through real-life examples. On October 1, 2026, at the Price LeBlanc PACE Center, over 320 students came eager and ready to learn more about industrial career partnerships. Over 100 industry volunteers came together to make the event possible.

Based on the post-event survey, students’ average rating of their familiarity with career opportunities and pathways available in industry increased to 4.1 out of 5, compared to an average rating of 2.66 out of 5 before the event. Additionally, students rated the overall event an average of 4.72 out of 5 stars. 

Students from over 20 schools were greeted warmly at the door, where they were then led to their seats. After getting situated, students participated in a high-energy, interactive game of "Guess My Career." The young women heard from five amazing professionals, who shared insight into their backgrounds, what led them to their careers, and answered questions to help students identify the women's industry careers. 

Following the game, the students moved through three rotations of hands-on stations. Stations were engaging, and they learned not only about the companies but also technical and professional skills. The booths had a broad range of activities, everything from STEM experiments to crafts to resume building. Students came away from the activity with a fresh perspective on how they define industry careers. During rotations, the students used an industrial career bingo game to talk to the volunteers and learn about their jobs. Once they identified which category it best matched, the students marked it off on their bingo sheets.  

Next came lunch, where the young women thoughtfully listened to Connie Fabre, CEO & President of GBRIA, share a few words about GBRIA's mission and her career path. After that, they heard from the Presenting Sponsor, Lauren Kreno, the Technical Department Manager at ExxonMobil. She shared her professional journey and motivating advice about the students' journeys ahead in Louisiana's workforce.  

During lunch, students had the opportunity to ask mentors who were seated at their table any questions they had on what they were learning throughout the day, the mentor's own story, advice, or anything that was on the student's mind. Then, Kathy Trahan, President & CEO, Alliance Safety Council and Board Member of the Louisiana Construction Education Foundation, informed them of the Women in Industry Scholarship.

Next, Katy Yu, Process Engineer at Innophos, introduced the three guest speakers: Judy Mendoza, Corporate Safety Representative at Turner Industries, Kawanna Freeman, Instrument Technician at Dow, and Marla Portilla, Apollo Process Engineer at Solstice. These inspiring women shared their industry work and some additional background information to help the students understand not only how they got to where they are, but their passion for their work as well.  

To close out the event, Blanche Gallagher, Project Manager at The TJC Group hosted the "Dress for Success" fashion show, sponsored by Industry Makes and The TJC Group. The fashion show demonstrated to the young ladies what to and what not to wear to a job interview. 

An extra-special thank you to ExxonMobil for serving as the Presenting Sponsor for Women in Industry!

This inspiring event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors: 

• OxyChem
• Nalco Water
• Westlake
• Air Liquide
• ABC Pelican
• BASF
• CF Industries
• Dow
• Methanex
• Syngenta
• Solstice
• Turner Industries
• Women in Manufacturing
• CF Donaldsonville
• Industry Makes
• The TJC Group
• LCA
• Olin
• Alliance

Women in Industry 2026 was a major success, with students leaving full of new information on industry here in Louisiana and a better idea of how to find their dream career. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped create a memorable experience for the next generation of industry leaders!