The second in a two-part series celebrating Women's History month

by Chris Nielsen assistant

perspectives editor

When the women of the Class of '99 graduate, they will have an endless selection of jobs to choose from. Right now, we are living in a strong economic period with boundless job opportunities for men and for women.

However, not so long ago, women were finding it difficult to break in to many of the career fields they now dominate. And in the month of March, Women's History Month, it is important to remember the women who found their way to great careers despite gender discrimination.

The FirstNationalWomen's Conference is held in Houston, Texas,chaired by BellaAbzug.

Historymaking event: more women than men enter college.

Geraldine Ferraro is the first woman vice-presidentialcandidate of a major political party (Democratic Party).

- compiled by Cynthia Taura assistant copy editor tion 24 hours a day. Students would also be able to self-administer take-home exams this way, and submit information electronicalJy. There would be less dependence on class time with such technology and more ability to interact with other students and professors.

The opinions of al1the professionals seem quite varied, but al1 involved tend to cite technology, genetic advancements, or healthcare as the major trends for the next century. Nudy claims that the key for the scientific and medical future is to remember that the nature of breakthroughs is that they are impossible to predict. He also states that there are things waiting to be discovered that the human mind cannot even conceive of at this moment.

"I'm very optimistic that the quality of life and the availabilityof resourceswill improvein the future,"Nudy-said.

Many of the groundbreaking women of the past few decades have come from Cabrini College. You may have even come across a few of them.

Do not get into trouble with the law in Montgomery County, because if you do, you may have to deal with Karen Citro, class of '86. She is the Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County, Penn.

The computer you use for your next project may be from a Cabrini graduate. Joan Buzzalino, class of '66, has helped Cabrini get many IBM computers. She is the Vice President for Human Resources, Sales and Distribution for the computer giant.

Cabrini College can also claim to have the president of the Delaware County Medical Society as an alumni. Her name is Dr. Lorraine Disipio, class of '73.

Disipio feels that the smalJ size of her classes and personal attention at Cabrini gave her preparation for the real world. She would need all the preparation she could get.

"In the early 70's, being a women was an obstacle, because medicine was male-dominated," Disipio said. "I had to prove myself as a person who wouldn't take a backseat to males. It obviously worked."

Susan Sexton, class of '69, has a somewhat different perspective. The first female judge in Hillsborough County, Fla., found her gender to be an advantage, not an obstacle.

She feels that perception plays a huge role in people's decisions regarding gender roles. "The real obstacle was that I was the first candidate to run against a seated judge," said Sexton. She also feels that the voters' perceptions of women as being fair and level-headed helped her to get her job.

Aside from Sexton's experience, women have often had to change people's preconceptions in order to get ahead in their careers. This notion might best be summed up by Disipio. "Women's rights haven't changed. We have developed guts, and savvy, too," she said. "We have to focus on breaking into male-dominated fields."