WESTBOROUGH, MA. _ The Female
Leadership Interest Council (FLIC®) hosted “An Evening with Erika Ebbel entitled Beauty and the Geek,” on Tuesday, November 18, at the Doubletree Hotel on Computer Drive in Westborough. Ebbel is an MIT scientist, a past Miss Massachusetts (2004), and founded the Whiz Kids Foundation in 2002. Whiz Kids is an organization that helps students with interest in math and science.
An Evening with Erika Ebbel gave women and their daughters or younger mentees an opportunity to listen to Ebbel share her journey and the many trials and tribulations that lead her to success.
“You need to learn how to sort out the people who will help you from those who will hurt you,” Ebbel told a room full on women ages 11 to 67 years old.
Ebbel called her journey a “fantastic voyage” and shared how she began her passion for cell research.
“My first project was self-initiated in middle school when I wanted to see if healthy cells would self-destruct if they were injected by a virus,” she said.
Now, Ebbel is working on a cure for Huntington’s disease.
“This program allowed our organization the opportunity to give back to younger women by bringing them together with such an accomplished young superstar and to become inspired by Erika’s story,” said Deborah Penta, founder of FLIC®. “She had the young women engaged and fully captivated them with her experiences. At only 27 years old, Erika has accomplished more than most people do in their entire lifetimes. She is a great role model for young girls.”
Throughout the year, FLIC® offers a myriad of programs from a Trailblazer series, educational symposiums and events like this one – the first in a series of Gen-Y mentoring events for women.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to give back to younger women to help them learn from others who are paving a brighter future for female advancement,” Penta said.
“FLIC is grateful to WPI for sponsoring this event and for its ongoing work and commitment to helping women in its collegiate community develop greater knowledge in math and science and to initiating a women’s program at the college to foster a belief in the advancement of females,” Penta noted.
Ebbel encouraged the future leaders in the room to “be willing to crawl through windows.” She talked about the value of perseverance, doing the right thing and working hard to achieve.
“It’s about what you choose to make of it,” Ebbel said. “You need to be your own person and not pretend to be something you’re not.”
When Ebbel learned that less than 18 percent of graduating high school students are not up to par in their math and science classes, she felt a call to fulfill a need for service.
At 21 years old, she founded the Whiz Kids Foundation because of her belief that all kids have the capacity to be whiz kids – all they need is a way to get there.
When a friend enrolled Ebbel in the Miss Massachusetts Pageant, she was dead set against it. However, when she learned that the prize was scholarship funding and it could be used to advance her education, she went along with it and worked hard to master what was needed to be a serious contender. In 2004, she was crowned Miss Massachusetts.
Ebbel is a 2004 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She majored in chemistry and minored in music. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate in Analytical Biochemistry in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine, where she intends to obtain her MD. She also has been a part of MIT’s Dance Troupe and Pistol Team. In addition, she is a contributing columnist and editor for Wellness Options Magazine, is an advanced open water scuba diver with stress and rescue training, and is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Recently, she began another company, Coccinella Incorporated, which designs T-shirts featuring various ladybug designs. Proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts have been helping to fund Whiz Kids.
“Young women of today have every opportunity to pursue their dreams because they believe they can,” said Penta. “We have come a long way, but there is still work to do and events like this one, help remind our youth that with hard work, dedication and desire, you can achieve your dreams. It’s really important for our youth to have and believe in that message.”
FLIC® is a non-profit organization founded on the principles of female leadership, mentoring and the belief that when you can help someone else succeed, you personally grow and prosper. The Council’s mission is to provide educational instruction to women to assist in developing their capabilities in the business world, which will increase the likelihood that their successes will benefit the community.
For more information on FLIC®, visit www.femaleleaders.org.
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