What International Women's Day Means To Me

I was blessed to grow up around very strong women, particularly, my mother. Professionally speaking, my mom is a superwoman: a lawyer, a real estate agent, a judge, and a mortgage lender. And while being a professional superwoman might seem like plenty of responsibility on its own, she balanced it all with the complete experience of motherhood. She held all the expected titles: Room Mom, Team Mom, Fun Mom, Strict Mom, and Mom-With-Friends-And-A-Life-Of-Her-Own. Through it all, my mom is my greatest admiration. I was taught by her example to have the attitude of a go-getter and to make it happen – whatever “it” is to me.

I went to college on full scholarship to play softball at a Division One School in Maryland, Towson University. These were easily hardest four years of my life. Born and raised a California girl, being 3,000 miles away from my family and adjusting to life in the northeast was much more challenging than I expected. But college is where I blossomed to become my mother’s daughter.

Regardless of what I accomplished in high school, I definitely EARNED my scholarship through a ton of hard work as a college athlete. Compared to my teammates, I did not have the strongest natural skill or ability, which meant I had to work twice as hard to keep up with them. I battled some fairly serious injuries, from sprains to a torn calf to slipped discs in my back. I had to always fight. I had to fight to be healthy, I had to fight to play the sport I love, and I had to fight to make it to the Dean’s List and keep good grades. But I did it.

Now that I have been working as a professional woman in the tech industry for the last few years, I can see what a difference it has made for me to have the privilege of a supportive family and the training I received as a college athlete. Don’t get me wrong: I am extremely proud of the independence I have achieved in my career. But I am equally grateful for the mother who gave me a clear example of what to strive for and the development opportunities I had in college, which shaped me into the confident and proud businesswoman I am today.

As a recruitment consultant at Computer Futures, I reference what I learned from my mom, my female coaches and teammates to sharpen my business skills for success. Every day I get the pleasure of helping tech experts find their dream jobs and get hired by biggest, best tech teams in the industry. It’s especially rewarding when I get to work with another strong woman, whether they happen to be my candidate or the hiring manager I’m consulting. In fact, I recently placed three incredible female candidates within the same team at one of our largest global clients.

I truly believe female empowerment is a two-way street. This is really the heart of what #BalanceforBetter means to me. While lifting ourselves into prosperous careers through hard work and dedication, we must also be available to help lift others up along the way. I’ve had the great fortune of volunteering with organizations like Veterans for Quality, Breaking The Glass, and HERdacity to share my market knowledge with job seekers entering or re-entering the tech workforce at varying stages of life.

I am so grateful to play a part in the professional journeys of exceptional female candidates, clients, and my fellow coworkers. This International Women’s Day, I encourage everyone to make a renewed commitment to balancing your career with ambition, gratitude, and purpose.