Contact Dr. Carla

FAQs from Students & Young Women Seeking Mentorship and/or Career Advice

Please read before submitting a question (if you are a teen girl interested in participating in HOTGIRLS programs, please visit the official HOTGIRLS web site):

I value your interest and will answer your question at my earliest convenience. However, lately I have received more requests than I have time to answer immediately. I want you to know that your e-mail is important to me and I will respond to your message as soon as possible.

How can I obtain a copy of your article, "Representin’ in cyberspace: Sexual scripts, self-definition, and hip hop culture in black American adolescent girls' home pages"?

Click here to download this article (let me know if you cannot access the article).

Can you give me advice about my career.....read my admissions essay......mentor me....help me with my thesis...meet with me.....?

I have been in your shoes and sincerely wish that I had time to individually call, meet with, and help each young woman who contacts me seeking mentorship, career advice, and feedback on admissions essays, papers, and thesis projects; but unfortunately, I am currently over scheduled, so it is difficult for me to set up phone calls and meetings during business hours at this time (it is much more convenient for me to respond via e-mail as my schedule permits).

Mentoring is important to me and I sincerely regret that I have limited time available to devote to new mentoring projects. If you are seeking mentorship for a HOTGIRLS-related project you are interested in pursuing, please provide detailed information about the project and any requirements (a resume and volunteer application will also be required).

I am interested in public health, youth development, or girls' empowerment. Can you give me career advice and/or information about internships and career paths?

It is promising that the number of young women of color interested in public health seems to be growing! When I first became interested in public health in the 90's, there were few opportunities available for undergraduates, especially at HBCUs. Fortunately, this has changed. I highly recommend visiting The Black Young Professionals' Public Health Network, Inc. The group was started in 2001 by a few of my former classmates at the University of Michigan School of Public Health "in recognition of an increased need for more deliberate and concerted opportunities for professional development of African Americans in the American Public Health Association and in the public health field." By signing up for the e-mail list, you will have access to public health-related news, employment/internship postings, and hundreds of public health professionals from a variety of disciplines (I will post additional resources soon).

Also, the HOTGIRLS web site will soon feature a social networking site for allies that will hopefully provide a useful forum for students to network, discuss relevant issues, and seek advice from students and professionals interested in public health, activism, and youth development. As HOTGIRLS continues to grow, stay tuned for volunteer opportunities in Atlanta and information about how to start a FIREGRL Club in your city.

I am working on a list of additional FAQs that I will post to this web site. Please check back soon.

Thank you for your interest and patience. I look forward to hearing from you.

With peace and gratitude,

Carla Stokes

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