Focus on Women 2012

8/2/2019 Focus on Women 2012

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F CO USUnique women of Claremont

Chances are the person teaching

your child in school is a woman.p.10

Former Webb student set her sightshigh to become a Laker Girl.p.8

Eileen Goor guides a dog who

will end up guiding others.p.4

February 25, 2012


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FOCUS/Unique Women of Claremont 2012 3

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The Teacherby Landus RigsbyNational trend shows women make up the majority of instructors

The Retiree by Beth HartnettClaremont resident Eileen Goor volunteers as a guide dog trainer

The Cheerleaderby Brenda BolingerA Claremont native dons the purple and gold with business sense

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The Hometown Girl by Sasha RindisbacherSophomore Summer Dowd-Lukesh makes her mark at Scripps College

Stereotypes about women have long beenexplored, established and passed on fromgeneration to generation.

When we think of women on a whole, werecall literary and mythological archetypes;the mother, the maiden, the crone, the ingnue.We see ourselves as wise or as caretakers orlovers, and it is our self view that oftendefines our work and endeavors, albeit sub-consciously.

As we began to budget this annual special

Focus, Unique Women ofClaremontit became abun-dantly clear that the mostinteresting stories were thosefrom unexpected sources. Wemet a cheerleaderthe seduc-

tressbut learned that beyond the outfit was astrong, capable and exceedingly intelligentwoman. We looked at teachersthe school-marmsand were taught that it says moreabout society that the female to male ratio of

teachers is so far out of whack. Our explo-ration continued with a retired volunteer, and ayoung woman just finding her way.

We are remindedas our work oftendoesthat the stories are depthless until wetake time to get beyond our misconceptionsand let a more accurate portrayal of our sub-jects crystallize. We hope you enjoy getting toknow a few of Claremonts unique women.

Kathryn Dunn, Managing Editor

The paradigms of womanhood


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Claremont resident Eileen Goor

works 24 hours a day. She doesntget paid, and it often takes her

roaming around the Claremont Villagefor miles or trekking down the 57 free-way to Diamond Bar for specializedtraining sessions. But she loves it.

Two years ago Ms. Goor began volunteer servicewith Guide Dogs for the Blind, training mans bestfriend to be of service to the blind and visuallyimpaired.

Ms. Goor has proudly trained 2 dogs, one of whichhas gone on to help a woman who travels across thecountry as a public speaker for the Guide Dogs pro-gram. The second, Lotto the Labrador, is preparing toleave her side to finish his training at Guide Dogs

headquarters next month.Despite the constant diligence and work to train

Lotto and her pups for graduation daynot to men-tion the difficulty in parting with her constant com-panionsknowing her trainees are going to help oth-ers makes it all worthwhile.

I am moved every time someone comes up to meand says, My son has a guide dog and I dont knowwhat he would do without it. Or, My mother has aguide dog and she never left the house until she gotone, Ms. Goor said. The first question I alwaysget is how could you let them go? My responsealways is because I know what they are going to dofor someone.

The dogs are delivered to their trainers at just 16weeks old. For the next 16 to 18 months, the trainers

will spend every moment teaching their dogs basiccommands, socialization and self-control so they cansafely lead a visually impaired person through busyand unpredictable settings. Ms. Goors work withLotto begins from the moment she wakes up to themoment she lays down to rest.

My day always starts with him: taking him out,feeding him, and we usually walk at least 3 or 4miles a day. That is part of my day no matter what,said Ms. Goor. Its a lot of fun, but its really a lotof work, too.

The term work is relative for Ms. Goor, who isan avid dog lover. Both she and her husband relishthe experience and time spent training their youngguides.

He (my husband) was very hesitant to have anoth-er dog as we travel some and got used to the flexibil-

ity one doesnt have with an animal that depends onyou. But now, he cant imagine us without one, saidMs. Goor, admitting her husband has developed aspecial connection with Lotto.

Ms. Goor moved to Claremont from Virginia 4years ago when her husband received a job offer atthe University of La Verne. The adjustment of being2000 miles away from the life she had known wasinitially a struggle. Ms. Goor had left her job in min-istry, all her children were grown and being in anunfamiliar place did not provide her with manysocializing opportunities initially.

Dog trainer guides those who will guide others

GUIDE DOGScontinues on page 6

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffGuide dog in training Lotto waits at the foot of his trainer Eileen Goor as she enjoys a cup of tea at Le Pain Quotidien inClaremont. Even though Lotto is still just a puppy he must learn to stay at the side of a blind person to be a good guide dog.


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COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffClaremont resident Eileen Goor walks her dog Lotto on Indian Hill Boulevard during a recent trek through Claremont. Volunteers with Guide Dogs for the Blind take their dogs ontheir daily routines and intentionally put them into distracting situations.

Ms. Goor has been around dogs her whole life but hasrecently began dog training as a volunteer for GuideDogs for the Blind.

Ms. Goor works on keeping her dog Lotto from jumping up while running errands recently in Claremont. One of themost important traits of a properly trained guide dog is the ability to stay focused and at the side of the blind person.


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I had been a teacher for the deaf, a

teacher at a college, and I was a minis-ter. For 40 years I was very involved in purposeful work, she said. It tookabout a year before it dawned on methat I needed a new purpose.

She decided to turn that spare timeattending to the fulfillment of a lifelongdream: training guide dogs. Ms. Goorholds on to fond memories of her child-hood Great Dane. She took it upon her-self to help train dogs in her youth, buther father would not allow her to getinvolved with training guide dogs,something she passionately wanted todo since the age of 9.

It was a pretty valuable learning

experience about what I could achieveif I worked hard, Ms. Goor said. Ialways had my own dog. I would takecare of my own dog, train them, and Idid well. I would show dogs and theywould get 100 point scores.

Despite her expertise, she has foundthe experience of training guide dogs acompletely different ball game.

Some of the early days were reallyhard because I felt like I wasnt doing agood job, she shared. A lot of peoplethink it will just be fun. What can behard about playing with a puppy? Butits so different. They have a very dif-ferent purpose.

Though she has discovered that train-

ing guide dogs is completely differentfrom obedience trainingno playing ball, different commandsshe wasable to get through the adjustment byasking lots of questions and regularlymeeting with other trainers in her samesituation.

Dubbing themselves Diamonds inthe Ruff, her group meets inDiamond Bar twice a month for spe-cial training sessions. Other similartraining groups through Guide Dogs of

America exist throughout the country.Not only has her training brought her

more socializing opportunities in thecity of Claremontshe brings her dogs

with her to Sprouts, the Laemmle andother favorite hangout spotsit hasprovided her with a whole new socialsetting through her training group.

It has become almost like a family,Ms. Goor said. You are so excitedwhen somebody gets a new puppy, justlike when somebody has a new baby.We are all based around supportingeach other and helping these dogs. Thisis an important group of people to me.

Russ Pia, who has worked with Ms.Goor as the Guide Dog Puppy RaisingLeader with Diamonds in the Ruff forthe past 3 years, believes the trainingcomes naturally to Ms. Goor.

She has made raising her puppiesseem easy, Mr. Pia said. Eileen hastaken all the challenges in raising andtraining her puppies in stride, alwaystrying to keep the ultimate goal inmind: these dogs are not raised as a typ-ical pet, but rather as a guide and com-panion for a visually impaired person.

And though she insists it isnt alwaysas easy as it looks, her commitmenthasnt waivered.

It really is a miracle to see them atgraduation, transformed into theseworking dogs who knows all of theseamazing things; to see them do whatyou hope they were going to be able todo, Ms. Goor said. It validates what I

do. I know he is going to go and dogood work.

Ms. Goor encourages those interest-ed in becoming a trainer to attend alocal graduation ceremony and see thedogs in action. For more informationon how to get involved with GuideDogs for the Blind, or local graduationceremonies visit their website atwww.guidedogsofamerica.org/1/.

Beth HartnettCOURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffClaremont resident Eileen Goor receives a menu from server Yana Laptseva at Le PainQuotidien in Claremont. Ms. Goor routinely brings her guide dog to the restaurant to gethim accustomed to accompanying a blind person.

GUIDE DOGScontinued from page 4


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COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffGuide dog in training Lotto sits at the side of his trainer Eileen Goors table recently at a restaurant in Claremonts Village West. Ms. Goor takes Lotto on her daily errands to placehim in situations similar to those that visually impaired individuals may encounter.


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When former ClaremonterJacquelyn Umof was a littlegirl, she knew she wanted to

be a businesswoman. She loved playingwith her toy business kit, setting upshop in her room and dreaming up waysto sell her merchandise. With her child-hood dream igniting the momentum, the26-year-old Webb Schools alumna andUniversity of Southern California merit

scholar and graduate is indeed runningher own business: RallyBabe, an onlinewomens casual-but-glitzy attire andsorority clothing store.

However, what Ms. Umof probably didnt knowas a little girl was that her business aspirationswould play second fiddlefor nowto her currentstatus as a Laker Girl for the Los Angeles Lakersbasketball team.

The business is moving along great, not as fast asit would if I gave all my focus to it, but thats fine. Ihave the rest of my life to do that. Right now, I wantto take full advantage of being a Laker Girl, said Ms.Umof, currently an El Segundo resident who regardsClaremont with fondness and gratitude (and called ita quaint little town to grow up in).

Claremont may be quaint, but for Ms. Umof it wasalso rigorous and demanding. Her time at Webb, shenoted, definitely prepared her for the challenges ofcollege. But despite Webbs high academic expecta-tions, she carved out time to pursue her passion fordance, taking ballet for hours after school everyday.Ms. Umofs intensity continued at USC where sheadvanced her entrepreneurial talents and joined theinfamous USC Song Girl team.

Sometimes I look back and wonder how I gotthrough it all, she said. I learned incredible timemanagement skills during that time. And it all startedat Webb and its very challenging education course. Igot used to being extremely challenged mentally, andsurviving on very little sleep.

The exciting and bonding danceteam experience at USC compelledMs. Umof to pursue another teamadventure: she landed a spot onthe Los Angeles Clippers SpiritDance Team. While having ablast, she also had one eye out onthe long-imagined and ber-cov-eted sporty dance team experi-encebecoming a Laker Girl.

I love the Lakers, and Ialways wanted to be a LakerGirl, she said.

This sentiment is therefor she and hundreds ofother young women.Last July, more than400 girls auditionedfor the 22 availablespots, and even cur-rent Laker Girlshave to re-audition.A continued positionis not guaranteed.

Nerve-wracking is anunderstatement, she said.You see the line that windsaround and around, and youthink What am I doing here?This is so pointless. But you

keep focused.Audition day was rigorous,

with the group of 400 plushopeful young women cutdown to 192 after performing a15-second dance combinationfor the judges. The group thenlearned and performed a jazz rou-tine, and the group dwindled to101. Another routine and another 48disappointed girls leave: only 53 left.Ms. Umof cannot believe shesamong them.

It was so exciting, but I had tokeep calming myself down. You start

picturing yourself in uniform and on the court,but you have to remind yourself, One step at a

time, she said.Next, these 53 exhausted but excited girlshave to tell the judges why they want to be aLaker Girl, followed by a solo dance.

At the end of the pressure-filled day, toher great delight, Ms. Umof was asked tobe one of 31 finalists who would return

in a few days for a professional, one-on-one interview and a final dance

audition, including being askedto demonstrate how well you canpump up a crowd. After that, itswaiting for the phone call. Ms.Umof got it.

Once its real, it feels likesuch an honor, she said. Its anincredible experience, and thefact that its a jobits a prettycool job to have. Despiterumors that the Lakers danceteam is the highest paid danceteam in the NBA, most LakerGirls still retain a day job. Inaddition to running RallyBabewith her sister, Ms. Umof alsoteachers pilates.

As a Laker Girl, Ms. Umofworks in a field exclusively

dominated by women. Withher career goal to succeed asan entrepreneur, she knowsshe is entering an industry stilllargely comprised of men.Daunting? Hardly.

That wont stop me. Ivealways been really focused,and I know Im going to bring something differ-ent to the business worldthan a man brings, she

said. But for now,ecstatic and feeling

privileged to be

The business of being a Laker Girl:

Native Claremonter dons the purple and gold

LAKER GIRL

continues on thenext page

Photo/special to the COURIERLaker Girl and former Claremonter Jacquelyn Umof.


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living the Laker Girl dream, dancing trumps business.Simple fact: being a Laker Girl is fun, fun, fun. But

its more than that, said Ms. Umof. The greatestreward, she explained, is the constant involvement in

community service. Appearing at nonprofit organiza-tion charity events, visiting young patients in a chil-drens hospital, going to halfway homes and conva-lescent homes and even skid row. Having contributeda substantial amount of volunteer service in the past,Ms. Umof is utterly pleased that being a Laker Girlmeans the opportunity to do more.

We do a ton of community service. Its not some-thing I expected. We did some with the Clippers, butthis is A LOT, she said. And people are so appre-ciative, so happy. I didnt know I was going to makesuch an impact. You come on as a dancer, and thenyou get a whole other experience. Were actuallymaking a difference.

While sitting, waiting and nail biting with 400 otheryoung women, Ms. Umof dreamt about wearing theLaker Girl uniform. Now that she has one (well,many more than one: each Laker Girl typically brings

4 or 5 outfits to each basketball game), she realizeshow much power it has to make people feel good.And this means a lot to Ms. Umof.

When you put on the uniform, it seems to meansomething to people. Ive done a lot of communityservice in my life, but when the uniform is on, for the people were visiting, its like someone special isthere, she remarked. You feel like, wow, I can real-ly help people feel better. Its so rewarding.

Not taking for granted that she is among the fewwho get to serve as Laker Girls among the hundreds,probably thousands, who want to, Ms. Umof is givingit her all, knowing that her business aspirations willmaintain their vigor until shes ready to follow themfull-force.

For now, the Lakers are priority number one.

Everything else that I do is scheduled around being aLaker Girl, she said. Sometimes on the court I stillthink I cant believe Im out here! And I stop andappreciate it, because I know that as I get older, timewill just go by so quickly.

Brenda Bolinger

LAKER GIRLcontinued from the previous page

Photo/special to the COURIERMs. Umof and the Laker Girls perform at a Laker game.


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T

he teaching profession in the

United States has traditionallybeen female dominated. The trend

holds true today throughout the countryand, more specifically, in Claremont.

According to the National Center for EducationStatistics report using data through 2008, womenmade up 76 percent of K-12 public school teachers inthe United States. Of the approximately 300 teachersthat the Claremont Unified School District employs,more than 70 percent are female.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported themajority of female teachers could be found in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten (97 percent), specialeducation (85 percent) and elementary through mid-dle school (81.8 percent).

Maybe its too much nurturing because there areso many things you do as an elementary schoolteacher that isnt teaching, Sycamore ElementarySchool fourth through sixth grade teacher LisaSchuster said. If you become an elementary schoolteacher, it is because you like it, or because you enjoyhelping a kid who comes into the classroom cryingafter recess or dealing with upper graders who are inthe pre-teen stage.

CUSD has 149 classroom teachers at the K-6 level.Women make up 91 percent of the districts elemen-tary teaching staff while only 14 male teachers arespread across the districts 8 elementary school cam-puses. Both Chaparral and Sumner have the highestnumber of male elementary teachers with 4 each.

The reasons women enter the teaching professiondiffer from person to person, yet many feel at home

with younger students. Teachers such as Chaparral

second grade instructor Margaret Russell come froma line of teachers that span multiple generations.

For me, its in my bones, said Ms. Russell, whohas 4 male teacher colleagues at the school. Ive comefrom a family of teachersmy grandmother was thefirst female principal of a public school where sheworked.

For teachers such as Sycamore first and secondgrade teacher Lenora Hester, the intent was to makean impact on childrens lives.

I just started volunteering working with kids and Ibecame a teacher because I liked it, Ms. Hester said.There were kids who were struggling and I wantedto help them.

Ken Knox, a Chaparral sixth grade teacher wasoriginally looking to coach and considered becominga high school teacher. But as he progressed in hiscoursework, he found the elementary level was more

in tune with his long-term goals.

Once I got into teaching, it was a lot more excit-

ingthere were 6 different subjects that I was nowteaching and I had more fun doing a variety ofthings, said Mr. Knox, who has taught at Chaparralfor 22 years. I couldnt imagine doing anythingelseI think when kids go to middle school, theyregoing to have more male teachers. But they do needto have a male teacher before middle school, alongwith having female teachers.

Sycamore and Mountain View Elementary Schoolsboth have an all-female teaching staff. The schoolsalso happen to be under female leadership with AmyStanger as principal of Sycamore and Clara Dehmerat the helm of Mountain View.

Ms. Schuster said the Sycamore staff works welltogether but misses having a male presence on cam-pus. The school hasnt had a male teacher on campussince Brian DAmbrosia-Donner served as a kinder-

garten teacher a few years ago.We miss men. I dont think having all female

teachers is bad, but we miss the dynamic of havingboth men and women on staff, Ms. Schuster said.

Sycamore teacher Ann OConnor echoed the sen-timent.

I think we need many more male teachers over-all, Ms. OConnor said. They face different chal-lenges than women, but I think some of the bestteachers out there are men.

Secondary education has fared differently betweenthe genders with a more equal representation of maleand female teachers. According to the U.S. Bureau ofLabor Statistics, 57 percent of teachers at that levelare female. The National Center for Education

CUSD follows national trend with female teacher majority

TEACHERS

continues on the next page

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffSycamore Elementary School teachers Lenora Hester,left, Anna Sanchez and Diana Fenner share a laugh whileeating lunch last Friday at the school.


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Statistics reported that 59 percent of full-time sec-ondary teachers were female in 2010, a growth of 4percent from 2000. Claremont High Schools ratio offemale to male teachers is 52 percent to 48 percent.

Similar to the elementary school level, the middle

school and high school teachers also have their ownreasons for choosing the higher grade levels.Claremont High School history and photographyteacher Bruce Pottorff chose the secondary levelbecause of opportunities to engage students in criticalthinking. Other teachers such as Jose Ancona, RyanCampuzano, Mike Collins, Jack Harper and TerranceLynch are using their opportunity at CHS to bothteach and coach.

Being a teacher seemed like something that camenaturally and several people told me Id make a greatteacher, Mr. Pottorff said. So I started attendingPitzer College and studied philosophy simplybecause I liked it. After I graduated, I had 2 choices-work toward a PhD while stringing together oddjobs or become a teacher. High school is almost like

teaching adultsit appealed to me to help teach theseyoung adults how to think. So in teaching history,they are able to learn critical thinking skills.

CHS science teacher Carly McKean entered sec-ondary education 6 years ago when she saw how herfianc was making a difference in the lives of kids atthe Youth Activity Center.

Its been pretty even [between female and maleteachers at CHS], she said. I think the reason whythere arent more male elementary teachers is that asfar as socially and biologically, women are still con-sidered the caretakers. People still look down on pri-mary male teachers. I think in the future, the femaleto male teacher ratio overall might stay the samebecause of the psychological effects, and I believe therole that psychology has played has been underem-phasized.

While women continue to numerically dominate inK-12, teachers such as Ms. Russell at Chaparral findmale teachers to be an important and welcome addi-tion to the classroom. She is particularly complimen-tary of Mr. Knox, who has been a fixture at Chaparralfor more than 2 decades.

We are extraordinarily lucky to have Mr. Knox.

Hes not only a great teacher but a superb individual,Ms. Russell said. Every male teacher we have [atChaparral] is quite extraordinary. So many childrenneed strong role models like them.

Ms. Russell believes that the constant scrutiny isonr factor in why we dont see more males in teach-ing positions.

At this time, we need more men, but theyre notcoming because its too dangerous and they can getinto trouble, she said. The societal perception isbecoming that even if someone makes an accusation,it can destroy a good mans reputation and I think thatis scaring men away.

Landus Rigsby

TEACHERScontinued from the previous page

Ann OConnor hands out student work assignments toher second and third grade students last Friday at

Sycamore Elementary School. The entire staff atSycamore is female and there are only a handful of menwho teach at the primary level throughout Claremont.

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffSeveral of Sycamore Elementary Schools teachers and staff members sit down for lunch last Friday at the school.Sycamores 23 staff members are all women which is typical of primary schools in California.


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To a young person who has grownup in Claremont, the fact that welive in the city of trees and PhDs

may not seem so novel and impressive,but to many non-natives, the towns aca-demic, cultural and political vibes are an

inspiration.The Claremont Colleges best embody this produc-

tive, progressive drive in Claremont, attracting manyyoung people from around the United States and theworld and providing academic resources and opportu-nities for unbound creativity.

For Summer Dowd-Lukesh, Claremont has been anintegral part of her education long before she startedattending Scripps College in 2010.

Though she was born in Colorado, Ms. Dowd-Lukeshs life after her family moved to southernCalifornia has always been centered around Claremont.While living in Rancho Cucamonga, her father taughtat an elementary school in Pomona, and the familyattended church in Claremont. Ms. Dowd-Lukeshsgodfather had also long been in Claremont working at

Some Crust Bakery.Education was always very important in Ms. Dowd-Lukeshs family, as her mother is a professor at ChaffeyCollege, and her father now teaches at FremontAcademy, a school of engineering and design inPomona, so her parents decided to have Ms. Dowd-Lukesh and her siblings attend middle school and highschool in Claremont. While at Claremont High School,Ms. Dowd-Lukesh was a dedicated and distinguishedmember of David Chamberlains speech and debateteam. She served as captain of the teams parliamentaryand public forum debate formats, and she won districtchampion in Congress debate in 2009, and Leaguechampion in Public Forum debate in 2010, ultimatelyqualifying for California state tournaments 2 years in arow. Even after graduating from CHS, Ms. Dowd-Lukesh was honored and inducted into the teams hall

of fame.Ms. Dowd-Lukeshs victorious speech and debate

record is certainly only the very beginning of her list of

Young Democrat

sets sights onpolitical, educa-tional ambitions

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffClaremont-raised Summer Dowd-Lukesh is studying political science and French as a sophomore atScripps College and is very involved with campus activities.

SUMMER DOWD-LUKESHcontinues on the next page


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achievements, and is a telling characteristic of her

political inclinations and ambitions. Soon after shestarted attending Scripps College, Ms. Dowd-Lukeshchanneled this ambition into various projects acrossseveral organizations and projects at Scripps andother colleges.

The transition to Scripps was definitely weird,especially with it being a womens college. It washard adjusting at first, but then I found KSPC andreally got involved, she said.

At Scripps, Ms. Dowd-Lukesh started working inthe public affairs program of KSPC, a college andcommunity radio station funded by student associa-tions of the 5 colleges. Last year, she put her experi-ence at KSPC radio to work and created a final proj-ect based on radio journalism. Ms. Dowd-Lukeshbegan writing forThe Student Life (TSL) at PomonaCollege, and soon joined the writing staff ofPortSide, a progressive political magazine and blog basedat Claremont McKenna College.

Writing forPort Side is only one of many ways Ms.Dowd-Lukesh is politically engaged. She is also vice president of the Democrats of the ClaremontColleges.

I come from a democratic family, and I believe

strongly in liberal, democratic values, she said.Last weekend, Ms. Dowd-Lukesh and fellow

Democrats of the Claremont Colleges membersattended the Democratic Convention in San Diego.

It was really great, being able to meet some of myfavorite politicians: Gavin Newsom, Jerry Brown,Nancy Pelosi, she said.

In addition to meeting some of her political idols,the convention was highlighted by an unexpected turnof events: Occupy protesters showed up and protest-ed against the Democratic Party and the convention.They were saying things like democrats and republi-cans are the same, and were generally angry aboutDemocratic Party members being rich and havingpower, she said. It was kind of upsetting, since I liketo think that we are on their side, but also very inter-esting, as I have never experienced being protestedagainst, and it definitely changes your perspective.

The protest did not greatly impact Ms. Dowd-Lukeshs political aspirations, however. When askedabout what she wants to do after college, she namedpolitics as a possible direction.

I think I might intern among congressional staff inWashington DC right after I graduate, but I think thatworking in the political sphere is very likely. I dontthink I could ever be an elected official, but I couldsee myself working in local government or as a lob-byist, she said.

Apart from those possibilities, Ms. Dowd-Lukeshintends to go to graduate school, likely apply for aFulbright scholarship and has considered the Teachfor America program, as her parents are both teachers

and educational policy is of great concern to her.As the latter possibilities imply, Ms. Dowd-Lukesh

is also very socially conscious. She is a tutor in theScripps College Academy, a program created by aScripps alum to aid underprivileged high school girlswith their academics. Last year, she worked for FreshAir Fund, a program for inner-city children that givesthem the opportunity to get out of the city and experi-ence the country.

Ms. Dowd-Lukeshs political aspirations and socialconsciousness are reflected in her studies: she isstudying political science and French, and to learn thelanguage in the most exciting way, she will studyabroad in Paris for the entirety of the next academicyear. To help support this venture financially, Ms.Dowd-Lukesh works 11 to 15 hours a week atPomonas caf, the Coop, and other places on cam-pus, in addition to all of her journalistic ventures atPort Side, TSL and KSPC. Though she may be busyfrom dusk-till-dawn, Ms. Dowd-Lukesh says she stillmakes time for fun, even the kind that is not related topolitical engagement.

Sasha Rindisbacher

SUMMER DOWD-LUDKESHcontinued from the previous page


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Akey goal of investing for retire-ment is making sure you saveenough money and have other

resources to last throughout your life-time. Historically, women may need tosave more than men.

According to the Center for Disease Control,National Center for Health Sciences, current life

expectancy of a female at birth is almost 81 years,compared with 75 years for a male. Although 6years may not appear significant, many people inthis age group incur expenses for health care andother items while trying to live off of SocialSecurity and possibly depleting personal assets inthe process.

Keep in mind that life expectancy statistics areaverages from all over the country. Some people livemuch longer, even well into their 90s. It is notunusual for an individuals retirement to last 20 or 30years, or more. Additionally, how many years will anindividual work and contribute to retirement assets?

Many women take time off for care giving respon-sibilities which can be ongoing throughout theirlives and may divert funds from retirement savings.

In addition, time off from work could affect Social

Proper financial planningis critical for Womenby Suzanne H. Christian, CFP

VIEWPOINT

FINANCIAL PLANNINGcontinues on the next page


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Security benefits because those who are not working

do not earn social security credits towards retirement.Of course, every womans life is unique. Many

women capitalize on the benefits available to them,including participating in an employer-sponsoredretirement plan or funding an IRA, to build theassets needed for their later years. Its important notto underestimate how much is needed, or the impor-tance of ongoing contributions to retirementaccounts to build assets over time.

To get started, calculate the following: What is the after-tax figure you will need to live

on monthly when you retire? Where will it comefrom? When considering sources of retirement

income, log on to www.ssa.gov. Social security hasstopped mailing statements as a cost cutting meas-ure; therefore, this site is a good source of informa-tion. Guesstimate what annual inflation will do tothat figure.

Calculate your future health care costs.Now see how you can adjust your lifestyle to pre-

pare for your retirement. If you find that your retire-ment assets are coming up short, delaying retirement

or saving more while you continue to work may behelpful strategies.

All of these considerations are, of course, chal-lenges that need to be addressed in a disciplined and

thoughtful manner. In response to the frequentlyasked question of when to start on this planningprocess, always keep in mind the old adage, Thebest time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the next besttime is today!Suzanne H. Christian, CFP419 Yale Ave., Claremont, CA 91711** Securities offered through LPL Financial,member FINRA/SIPC.

FINANCIAL PLANNINGcontinued from the previous page


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