Objective:
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The main objective of MAGIC is to expose middle and high school girls to various disciplines in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through 1-1 mentoring with women having successful careers in STEM, thereby encouraging them to consider STEM careers for themselves. The mentoring session lasts for three to six months, and consists of weekly one hour mee
tings between a mentor-mentee pair. Each pair works on STEM projects during these sessions; in addition, the mentees learn soft skills such as time and project management, presentation skills, and also talk with their mentors about contributions of women to the STEM field, the life of a woman with a STEM career and related items. Vision Statement:
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Be a world class resource for guiding & assisting young women seriously considering studying one or more STEM areas. Mission Statement:
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Focus on providing middle and high school girls, seriously considering studying a STEM area, with a knowledge of tools and resources available to help them start down the STEM path successfully. Mentee Application Process:
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Mentees need to fill out an application form that is reviewed by their school and a MAGIC core team member. They then have to go through a short interview process, after which they are selected and paired with a mentor with similar interests and matching availability. To get the most of the mentoring, each mentee is expected to devote 2-3 hours per week on their MAGIC projects, including an hour long meeting with their mentor. Mentor Application Process:
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Mentors are required to go through a rigorous selection process that involves filling up a qualification form and submitting it in with their resume, going through a phone interview with a MAGIC core team member, a background check and reference checks. They are provided with training materials before they start their mentoring process. Status:
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MAGIC was incorporated as a 501c(3) non-profit organization in the state of California in early 2009. It has completed seven years of mentoring, providing mentoring to over 125 middle and high school girls to date. The mentors of MAGIC reside in various parts of the United States, providing face to face or remote (if they are not co-located with their mentees) mentoring. 40% of the mentoring in MAGIC is remote. The mentees have been from the San Francisco Bay Area, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Cambridge, MA. Achievements:
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MAGIC has been featured in Newsweek and IEEE Spectrum magazines as one of a few notable organizations in the US that is helping girls to tackle the various barriers that they face in embracing STEM careers. The universities that MAGIC mentees who have graduated are going to include MIT, Stanford U, UC Berkeley, and Columbia U. MAGIC received the MIT Community Service Funding award in December 2014, and a Google Charitable Giving Fund award in October 2009. Websites:
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http://getmagic.org, http://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/getmagic-corporation
