Aimee Cohen (right) with Paula Dorion-Gray, member of Education to Empowerment executive committee.

Education to Empowerment awarded five scholarships to MCC students Nov. 3.

Since its beginning in 2013 Education to Empowerment has awarded $120,000 in scholarships of $8,000 to 15 students.

ETE is a women’s scholarship program presented by the Friends of MCC Foundation.

This unique and innovative program provides financial support and ongoing mentorship for female McHenry County College students completing their final year at MCC and continuing onto a four-year college or university toward an advanced degree. ETE has 60 members. Christia Haggerty, Interim Vice President of Institional Advancement at MCC encouraged members of the audience to join ETE.

The mission of ETE is to empower women to reach their fullest potential and achieve economic independence through education, mentoring, and financial support.

This year, traditional and nontraditional students received scholarships.

• Trace Chase, Johnsburg, is seeking an Associate’s in Science at MCC before she goes on to seek a four-year degree in education. She is interested in Early Childhood Education. Chase graduated from Johnsburg High School.
• Emma Kane, Algonquin, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. From there she plans to earn a master’s and doctoral degrees. Kane graduated from Marian High School.
• Sarah Klos, Crystal Lake, is seeking an Associate’s in Art at MCC. She plans to use her passion for photography to educate the public on the environment and climate change.
• Natalie Kupiec, Crystal Lake, is pursuing a medical degree, specializing in women’s health. She also wishes to influence people to make a positive change in the world. Kupiec graduated from Crystal Lake South High School.
• Brianne Sullivan, Lake in the Hills, is on her way to a degree in Military Clinical Society. Her goal solidified after her close friend conveyed a story about another hero lost to PTSD.

The guest speaker, Aimee Cohen, is the author of “Women UP!” According to her website, her approach is “like combining your best girlfriend and an elite career expert … in a powerful purse-sized package!” She has more than 20 years of experience and a high success rate helping hundreds of clients. “Woman UP!” conveys a powerful and practical message exposing seven self-sabotaging behaviors common to women using real-life examples, shared experiences, and Cohen’s own guilty confessions, Cohen delivers sage advice that every woman wishes she had at the start of her career: “put on your big-girl panties and take control of your career.”

Cohen felt like a failure at job seeking after college. Her first job was sales coordinator for Chicago Bar Association, which was not what she studied, and was not her passion. She says of identifying a calling.

According to Cohen, “there’s is a lot people cannot control in the workplace, but there are common self-sabotaging behaviors that we can control. These behaviors are most common in women.

The Kindness Conundrum: Women are terrified of being labeled a bitch so they overcompensate with kindness. This was a mistake Jennifer Lawrence confessed to post-“American Hustle,” when she realized that she was grossly underpaid. Cohen suggests that women “stop apologizing and begin to analyze the situation, learn a new language, see a model and be a model.”

The Perfectionist Prison prevents women from achieving success. Women want 100 percent of the qualifications mastered before they apply for at job; men strive for 60 percent. Men work on mastering the skills on the go.

Affirmation Addiction is a common problem for women. Women tend to blame their behavior when things go wrong, while men blame the circumstances or the environment. Cohen bases her remedy on a quote from Hillary Clinton, “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, to learn from it. Otherwise let it roll right off.”

The Undervalue Epidemic causes women to keep themselves small by downplaying and diminishing their accomplishments. Cohen says that women tend to deflect compliments rather than acknowledge them with a thank you.

Cohen closed her talk with reminding the audience of Dorothy and the ruby slippers, “You already have everything you need.”

Besides membership fees, ETE depends on fundraisers and sponsors for the scholarship fund.

Sponsors are: Advocate Good Shepard, Working World, Dorion-Gray, First Midwest, Flint Creek Group at Morgan Stanley, Mortenson Construction, Market Financial Group, , Intren, Associate Electrical Contractors, Prairie Community Bank, Studio 2015, and Miller Verchota, Inc.