Girls Inc. of the Valley gather in City Council Chamber to listen to speakers and raise the flag to commemorate Girl Day in Holyoke.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
HOLYOKE — On Feb. 20, Girls Inc. of the Valley hosted Girl Day 2025 at City Hall as part of Engineer Week.
The focus of the day was to inspire and empower girls to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields through hands-on activities, mentorship and educational experiences.
Girl Day aligns with DiscoverE’s nationwide initiative to spark interest in engineering and encourage young girls to imagine their futures in these impactful careers.
Girl Day featured a tour of City Hall and a gathering in the City Council Chamber where speakers will made brief presentations.
Speakers included Mayor Joshua Garcia, City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti and Assistant City Engineer Victoria Houle. Building Commissioner Leslie Ward was also there to
Garcia said that Girl Day is a celebration and affirmation of the progress that has been made over the past 100 years.
Girls Inc. of the Valley and other organizations encourage young women to explore STEM careers.
Garcia said, “With this kind of an education and the confidence it instills, girls and young women can see themselves as engineers and as scientists and innovators, supervisors as well as bosses. I’m very glad to have this chance to give a shoutout to Girl Day and its message of equal opportunity and equal stature, equal pay. I want you to aim high and take note.”
Garcia also discussed multiple city positions that are represented by women in Holyoke including city solicitor, city auditor, purchasing officer, building commissioner, personnel director, council on aging director, library director, chief assessor, tax collector, City Council president and city clerk.
Murphy-Romboletti is the first appointed woman City Council president in Holyoke’s history and talked about her journey.
She talked about the path that got her to be the City Council president and said, “I will say what I’ve learned is you may as a women, you may be held to a higher standard, there are times where I am prepping before the meeting, I’m really studying, I’m making sure I know the rules, I’m making sure that I know what might happen that night and even as much preparation as I can do, it never exactly goes the way that I think it will.”
Murphy-Romboletti shared her advice: “If you’re the type of person who kind of feels like you ought to lead, we need you. If you’re the type of person who likes to work in the background, we need you. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and to believe that you deserve to be in a room that you may not have been invited to years ago. I hope when you’re my age it’s not as big of a deal. I hope you’re not the minority in the room and I hope you’re surrounded by strong women and that this is just how you were raised to know you’re worth because you do deserve to be in places like this and rooms like this.”
Houle talked about difficult it could for a young person to figure out what job they may want for the rest of your life but to work hard and follow your dreams.
“Engineering for me is just problem-solving,” Houle said, “You can buy a brand-new Lego set and it comes with the instructions, and you have all the pieces or you can find one for 10% of that money and it’s missing a few pieces. Can you still make it work by using something else? Yes, you can and I feel like there’s a part of engineering that is empowering in giving you independence in your everyday life.”
Garcia read a proclamation declaring Feb. 20 as Girl Day in Holyoke and then they raised the flag in the City Hall Chamber to recognize the day before breaking for lunch.
According to Girls Inc., women are underrepresented in STEM careers. Girl Day provides young girls with opportunities to see themselves as future engineers, scientists, and innovators. By feeding their interest early and providing supportive role models, the organization states, “we help pave the way for a more diverse and inclusive STEM workforce.”
