 On Tuesday, October 17th, the East Kentucky Strong Forum was held at the Appalachian Wireless Arena. The goal was to teach high school girls about self-worth and the opportunities they have here in the region before going to college. Mountaintop News spoke with East Kentucky Strong committee member Patricia Collins for more details. Patricia Collins – We want the girls to know and to get from this event that they are strong and that there's no more glass ceilings, that they can do and anything they want to do when they look in the mirror. We want them to see someone who is strong looking back at them. They can be whatever they want to be. We want to instill confidence in them. We try to find guest speakers and presenters from all areas of life that can give them examples that they might could find a role model. Appalachian Wireless is making it so easy and affordable to stay connected to friends, family and the world. With the Forward Pay Unlimited or Unlimited Plus Plan, get $50 off any Forward Pay device. And don't forget, with Forward Pay, there are no credit checks or long term contracts. It's Forward Pay on the region's premier network, Appalachian Wireless. We get you because we are you. We are Appalachian Wireless. Activation fee required, just kind of apply that point of sale. Numerous guest speakers and presenters were invited to share their experiences. The students were also able to learn about potential career paths during the event. It was great to see some of the post secondary schools here showing them that electricians and stuff that you would normally think would be a man's job. Those lines have been blurred and a woman can do anything that she sets her mind to, whether it's coal mining or electrician or climbing the electricity poles. What it is that a woman wants to do now, we want to encourage these young women to set their goals and work to achieve them. I tell the girls, you know, life is hard and there's a lot of times it sucks, but it's up to us to make the best of that and overcome and get stronger. And that's the whole thing, no matter what we go through in life, emerging stronger on the other side. Reporting from Outantop News, I'm Nick Colum.