When I first started looking for jobs on campus, I really just wanted to find a place that would help me supplement the cost of living during the winter break. I didn’t plan on going back home and figured that working in an office would give my resume and bank account a nice boost. When I first stepped into the building for my interview, I didn’t expect that the blur of faces I was introduced to would become some of the most influential people in my life, and help me find my way throughout my college experience.
As a young woman, I’ve faced discrimination based on my gender throughout my life. At thirteen I was shunned from joining the robotics team because I wouldn’t fit in with the tech-savvy boys. I experienced snide remarks as I was always compared to a peer in high school who did just a little bit better than I did, hearing that I was just trying to copy him, or that I wasn’t deserving of all the titles and offices I held. In college now, I see my female friends in the STEM field and witness their experiences trying to win research positions and going the extra mile just to ensure that their resumes and applications won’t go unnoticed. It’s discouraging. It’s disheartening. However, when I took my first steps into the office that would soon become my second home, I very quickly noticed that there were so many women who held important positions and were very present in the office; even mostly the office assistants were female. It was refreshing.
I lost my mother right before college started and was looking to find another female figure to help guide me. I gained an entire department of strong, female leaders to look up to. These women exemplify poise and professionalism; working in customer service often means dealing with aggressive, rude and unhappy individuals, but my supervisors never waiver in the face of a difficult patron. They don’t back down. Sometimes, they bring their children to work, because balancing motherhood and a career is complicated, but they’re able to devote 100 per cent to each commitment at the same time.
From observing, talking with and getting to know the women in my office over the past year, I have learned so much about being successful. They bring a variety of experiences and skills to the table. These women are veterans. They volunteer in the community. They’ve dealt with tragedies and hardships. They raise their kids and they grow closer to us, the college students, and become our college moms. They teach us what it means to be a woman. They remember our birthdays. They offer their worldly advice. They understand that we’re students first, and encourage us to pursue other goals and keep achieving our dreams. They remind us in the face of adversity that “this too, shall pass.” They care.
As a young woman entering the stage of emerging adulthood, it’s important to have strong female role models in the community. While it’s rewarding to see more women elected to the senate, and seeing female scientists and athletes accomplish record-breaking feats, seeing women in our everyday lives succeed is everything to us. After spending a year being graced with the opportunity to work with these women, I feel inspired. I feel closer with my fellow female office assistants, with whom I have developed close friendships during this formative time of my life. I feel more capable to transition up the ladder and eventually hold a high position in my future field.
Thank you to the women that I have had the pleasure of working with for the past year. I say with, rather than for, because you have created an open environment of equality, respect and comfort. You allow me to ask questions, to learn and to express myself when I am stifled and suppressed in other environments. You are strong, and you make me strong.
