Hurricane Matthew brings Learning Opportunity to Seneca Middle School

As low country residents fled parts of South Carolina ahead of Hurricane Matthew last week, at least one positive result occurred here in the Golden Corner due to that evacuation. Gaia Sutti, an Italian native, current Charleston-area resident and management employee of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, evacuated to a home next door to Seneca Middle School science teacher Deborah Belflower. As it happens, Belflower also mentors Women in Charge, a group of 7th and 8th grade girls who show promise in math and science. Never one to miss an opportunity to expose these young women to new careers and experiences, Belflower invited Sutti to speak to the group. Sutti holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from an Italian university, a Master’s degree from the USC School of Business and speaks five languages. She also deals with the shipping and import of goods from all around the world and has recently partnered with a colleague to develop a calculating tool designed especially for their industry. While responding to questions from the students, Sutti explained that her decision to live and work in the United States stemmed from the more positive way women in the business world are treated here versus in Italy and indeed much of Europe. She had a belief in herself and her abilities that she felt would be better served here. While Sutti has now returned to Charleston and her work, the girls she met here in Oconee County will surely have a lasting impression of her and the wisdom she conveyed. No doubt, the experiences of this special group will continue to impress upon these young ladies the opportunities available to women in the work world here in the United States.