Make Your Work Meaningful with Jennifer Tolman
Want your STEM career to be more than just a job? In this replay from the AdaMarie Career Navigation Summit, Jennifer Tolman, President & COO of Dignity Grows, explores what it truly means to do meaningful work that aligns with your values, impact, and purpose.
Jennifer shares how early-career professionals can connect their technical skills to real-world challenges and create careers rooted in intention and integrity. Drawing on her experience leading a national nonprofit in the fight against period poverty, she reminds us that purpose-driven work isn’t abstract—it’s urgent, tangible, and life-changing.
Why Meaning and Purpose Matter
Jennifer begins with a scenario that’s all too common: a woman reaching for basic menstrual products on the morning of a workday and finding none. Rent, food, and bills take priority, leaving her unable to afford what she needs. This reality—called period poverty—affects over 41.9% of American women at some point in their lives.
The consequences are staggering:
33% of teens report missing school.
42% of adults say their ability to work was impacted.
57% experience declines in mental health.
48% can’t complete daily activities.
Jennifer frames period poverty as a workforce development issue, an equity issue, and a dignity issue.
The Role of STEM in Social Impact
For STEM professionals, Jennifer highlights the unique opportunity to use skills in data, systems, and innovation to transform how nonprofits respond to crises like period poverty. Technology and technical expertise can:
Make nonprofit operations more efficient.
Improve the precision of interventions.
Scale impact for communities most affected.
Building a Career With Intention
Making your work meaningful doesn’t just change your career trajectory. It changes lives. You have the power to contribute to systemic solutions and to grow in ways that matter.
Replay Available Now: Watch Make Your Work Meaningful with Jennifer Tolman inside the AdaMarie Professional Network.
