Intel employee receives annual Athena award
Cara organized girls’ science camp

       Judy Cara, community relations manager at Intel Corp. on Garden of the Gods Road, won the Athena award at the Women in Business Conference and Award Luncheon last month.
       Part of a nationwide program, the award is sponsored by the Great Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Women's Business Council.
       “I've basked in the glory of other women,” Cara said cheerily afterward. “I never thought I'd be up there myself.”
       Although Cara does not know the exact reasons she was chosen among 18 nominees - including County Commissioner Sallie Clark - she said she believed a key reason was her role in organizing an annual girls' summer science camp at UCCS three years ago.
       The three-day camp, which fosters girls' interest in science and engineering careers, is in keeping with two of the key Athena goals: community service and mentoring women to develop their leadership potential.
       Cara, who has worked at Intel for five years, confesses to being “terrible at math and science” when she grew up near London, England. But she wonders if things would have been different had she received encouragement to go in that direction.
       “Things have changed now,” she said. “Girls have more options.” Also, society's changes have made it necessary for women to be more self-sufficient than they used to be, Cara noted. “It's so important for girls to have the same skill set as boys.”
       Her other community involvement includes board positions with the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA Metro Board and the Southeast Family YMCA Board, in addition to volunteering with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, School District 11, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Colorado Springs Corporate Connections Program.
       She is married and has two step-children.
       Cara moved to America with her former husband, whom she met while working at the American embassy in London, and has lived in Colorado Springs since 1987. One of Intel's first employees when the company opened here, Cara's work responsibilities include media and community relations, government affairs and educational programs.

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