Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, develops, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of leading aesthetics brands and products. This portfolio includes facial injectables, body contouring, plastics, skin care, and more. In October, Allergan Aesthetics announced its fifth year of partnership with Girls Inc. This year the partnership supports Project Accelerate, a program addressing inequality in the workplace that aims to accelerate young women's trajectories through college and career entry. The Allergan Aesthetics effort will focus specifically on leadership paths in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

"Allergan Aesthetics is first and foremost a company backed by science and fueling the STEM field with bright young minds is critical to our industry's growth," according to Carrie Strom, Global President of Allergan Aesthetics and Senior Vice President at AbbVie. "We are inspired by the work we are able to do with Girls Inc., ensuring college-aged girls of underrepresented populations have the education, skills, and access to excel into positions of leadership as they navigate their professional lives."

Project Accelerate is an extension of the Girls Inc. experience, designed to support young women through their next critical transitions—from high school through college and career. Girls Inc. has historically served elementary, middle, and high-school aged girls, and this evolution of the Girls Inc. offering was designed as a direct response to girls asking for support from a trusted source as they navigate the next stage of their life.

According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) finding in "The STEM Gap: Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics," women make up only 28% of the STEM workforce, and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. As published in the Girls Inc. 2020 Report Girls Take the Lead, this low percentage is also reflected at the school age level with 45% of girls reporting they are considering a career in math or science, and only 35% of women graduating with a bachelor's degree in a STEM field. With STEM fields being among the highest paying and with women being the primary earners for 40% of U.S. households with children, being employed in a STEM field can help set up women—and their families—for economic success.

"Girls Inc. is proud that our national partnership with Allergan Aesthetics celebrates a commitment to mentorship and creates opportunities for young women to confidently pursue careers within the world of STEM," according to Girls Inc. Chief Operating Officer Lisa Ghartey Ogundimu. "We are thrilled to continue building on our partnership and expand to include Project Accelerate which aims to support young women in their educational attainment and careers and drives cultural change toward equity in the workplace, most notably in fields where women, especially women of color, are underrepresented."

Project Accelerate girls will be offered the opportunity to learn more about the Student Internship and Early Career Opportunities with AbbVie and Allergan Aesthetics, which became a Hacienda tenant in 2017 when it acquired Zeltiq. AbbVie has opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain experience, build business acumen and enter the talent pipeline into our development program and direct hire roles. Development programs include early career programs that develop leaders of tomorrow through differentiated rotational assignments, leadership development, and learning experiences.

For more information about Allergan Aesthetics, please visit www.allerganaesthetics.com.

For more information about Girls Inc. and Project Accelerate, please visit www.girlsinc.org/app/uploads/2021/08/Executive-Summary__Project-Accelerate.pdf.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash