2022 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY - HOW DO YOU HELP OTHERS RISE?

Read on to see how our members help others RISE.  This information was collected as part of a special campaign to celebrate the 2022 International Women's Day.  

Andreea Baker

Encourage others to do their best everyday and offering support throughout their journey, whatever that looks like for them. Everyone has their own story and it's important to be uplifting and encouraging wherever life takes them

Alejandra Barahona

I to find capacity-building opportunities for professional and personal goals for my excellent ALL women staff. I also empower them to take advantage of our Brave Space commitment to express their concerns, emotions, things they think we can do better. There isn't a day that I don't learn from them. They are inspirational, supportive, and committed to all the experiences we want to design for our students. They also find ways to lovingly show some of our men colleagues how to become aware of their biases and grow into a more just work team. They are brave to take action and yet not afraid of vulnerability if this enhances our empathy, understanding, and awareness of others' needs.

Amy Bardwell

In my new role as American Indian Student Advisor, I aspire to develop relationships with students and school administrators to connect them with higher education opportunities at our local community college and beyond.  Building trust, learning from the students what they need to be successful, and helping them access those resources will be my primary aims in the year ahead.

Fanny Calderon

By telling other people my story. Because my mom’s life and mine was not easy because I had a terrible father and my mom is a survivor so do I . Fortunately, my mom has been always with me and I could study and became an educator.

Karina Campostizon

My firm aspiration, and one that drives my continuous efforts in the professional and academic aspect of my life is to empower my fellow women in the Latin-American community of Central California by creating an organization, as well as a source with this health center that provides culturally specific behavioral health focused rehabilitation, spiritually based approaches, in addition to medically assisted treatments - so that they may lead more healthy, prosperous lives for themselves & their families.

Debbie Cloar

I scheduled appointments for many of my coworkers to get their initial covid vaccine. Many of my older, younger and English as a Second Language coworkers had difficulty finding appointments and navigating the registration process.

Carrie Cohan

Because mentors have played such a large role in my success, I aspire to mentor 3 women in sales this year.

Katrina Cook

My aspiration is to life those up around me all year. Daily greetings, affirmations, and positivity to spread goodwill in the workplace.

Michaela Dengg

Over the past two years, I have discovered the importance of mentorship in a PhD program. I had never had a mentor before and the concept was new to me. In September of 2021, I received a new supervisor who has been nothing but supportive, kind, and has become a true idol to me. I have a lot of moments of "When I grow up, I want to be like her"; never mind that I'm fast approaching 30. I heavily underestimated the importance of female role models in my life. She has inspired me to do the same. Representation matters and strong women need strong women to look up to, grow together, cry together, laugh together, fight together. When I graduate, I am hoping to be the same beacon to other women in the field.

America Diaz

As a Resident Advocate for those who yet struggle to speak up for themselves. I help give a voice to them. Participants of the program come off the streets after years of enduring homelessness. They get a chance to learn and sustain independent living.

Stina Dufour

When people confide in me, I try and ask: would you like me to "just" listen, or offer solutions?

Summer Eglinski

I'm trying to help others think outside the box and see opportunity in more places and more ways. I'm also seeking to help others understand that things feel hard because they have been hard! It's ok to feel that way. Let's get creative with solutions.

Tabitha Fleming

As a student advisor, I am constantly helping students connect their interests, passions, and abilities to academic pursuits and job prospects. Some of these students have very little faith in themselves or receive very little from others. Therefore, I try to be the one voice who will always encourage and believe in them. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we believe we can accomplish it.

Maritheresa Frain

I love the coach younger professionals in ed abroad and help with connections, networking, thinking out of the box and setting professional goals based on their values.

Jacy Fry

I offer encouragement and support to the women I supervise and mentor.  I give back because I've had amazing mentors and supervisors in my career who've helped me get to where I'm at.  I provide opportunities for growth and advancement.

Genoveva García-Gallardo

Caring, taking part and bringing optimism.

Paula Haeder

So much time and energy has been taken from women and femme people through the socialization they have experienced surrounding their bodies and its tie to their worth. I have and will continue to make an effort to decenter the body and fight fat-phobia and language that can lead to body dysmorphia in women, femmes, and girls. That could mean avoiding comments about food restriction and diets in the workplace lunchroom or having challenging conversations about the subject at work and at home. Healing our relationships with our physical forms, or at least being one force that is not contributing to its further distraction, can have a wonderful impact on a person's work and relationships. I think of it as freeing up mental energy and space and diverting it to efforts that enrich and foster fulfillment. I hope to continue to speak up to support the women and femme-identified people in my life and bring the same philosophy to conversations around mental health in the workplace and at home.

Amy Henry

My aspiration is to support others in word and deed as they RISE during challenges large and small. Sometimes, we can "dance in the rain". Sometimes, we just have to "get through the storm". Always, we benefit from the support of others to help us recognize and feel the power we have to RISE. I continue to benefit from the support of family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and strangers who intentionally or unknowingly deliver the pithy comment that buoys me, the action that eases my path forward, or the example that propels me. May I say and do things that help others RISE.

Rachel Herman

Networking with colleagues, continuing to work on a graduate student intern project, and support my classmates in my EdD program.

Holly Hubenschmidt

I'm turning my attention to helping the women in my sphere publish, present, and share their ideas. As a librarian, I regularly help faculty find a journal that might publish their latest article or a conference to present at. I'm trying to be more proactive about this, particularly with the women among the staff at my university. When I hear someone share an interesting idea or a clever practice they have implemented in their office, I'm reaching out to ask if they have considered publishing or presenting that innovation and offering to help them find a venue.  I'm using my talent and skill set to help others shine - and RISE!

Tammie Iverson

I guess you would call me a gatherer of people.  I bring others together to laugh, talk or just listen.  During the summer months, we have weekly lunches.  Everyone brings a dish to share.    During the regular school year we have monthly lunches.  I plan everything detail so all they need to do is show up and enjoy each other's company.

Many times I will make the lunch a theme which create stories.  One theme was childhood favorites.  You brought a dish that you loved as a child and we shared the reason we decided  on our dish.  During that same lunch, we also had a guessing game.  They provided me with a picture from their childhood and we had to guess who was who.  It was a wonderful time with many laughs and stories. 

I picked people from all over campus to come to the lunches.  It not only provides comradery but also another source across campus to learn about different department/divisions. 

We have a Christmas party at the end of the year with an ugly sweater contest and a gift exchange.  During the pandemic, we held our Christmas party on Zoom.  They provided their gift to me and I distributed them out prior to the meeting.  Even though, we were not in the same room you  could still feel the positive energy.  

I love bringing people together but most all I love the sound of laughter.  Life does not seem as stressful when you can smile and laugh, even if only for an hour. 

Nitiiva Jones

I am cognizant of who has power or voice in any given space, and I try to make sure that those from minority groups are given equal opportunity to participate and voice in those spaces. I aspire to make more space for minority groups in the predominantly white and heteronormative spaces that I frequent.

Wendy Lombardo

I always want to share my knowledge and connections with new professional trying to get into the field.  Whether it is encouraging people to challenge themselves to do that presentation for the first time at a conference or introducing them to people who are great contacts to have, I want to be make this field welcoming and a good experience. We have had our challenges, especially the last couple years - but we can't keep it a secret how incredibly rewarding this field can be as well.

Kayla Lowrie

I help others RISE by encouraging them to take on the seemingly impossible or uncomfortable.  I am truly a believer that we grow the most when we push ourselves outside of our comfort zones.  In order to jump into the unknown or uncomfortable, we must have support, leadership, and grace to accept that it won't always be a perfect jump.  This year I have pushed myself by taking on responsibilities on the board of a local non-profit, serving as a leader in my church and leaning into the unknown during a time of unrest and change in my work environment. 

My aspiration to help others RISE this year includes challenging those around me to contemplate: "When was the last time you did something for the first time?  Reflection on the world around us, our role in it and how it impacts us is key in our ability to grow and prosper.  It's only through taking steps to continue to grow and challenge ourselves with new experiences that we can all rise above the fog of comfort to see our true position and the opportunities ahead of us.

Beth Lyons

Documenting processes and procedures, training new employees on standard procedures, and providing tips/tricks for efficient ways of accomplishing their work. I also write cards to co-workers, affirming them for who they are and what I appreciate about them or the work they've done.

Heidi Marshall

I promote women's empowerment in multiple facets of life, but primarily through coaching female adolescents in lacrosse and adult women in strength training. I believe strongly that athletics and strength training promote confident, self-efficacy, and self-regulation skills needed among women leaders.

Elisha Mueller

I am very passionate about protecting our natural world for generations to come, so as a conservation biologist, I get to do what I am most passionate about day in and day out. The one downside is, I don't feel so connected to the people in my community by doing this work (in a place like North Dakota, not many people care about the environment). So I spend a lot of my free time volunteering in ways that will benefit the people of my community and other communities. I have been a "big sister" in the Bismarck/Mandan Mentor Program (similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters) working with a little girl in foster care for over 2 years now. During my time with her, she has been in 7 different homes, which is truly heartbreaking. I am so thankful I have been able to be a constant in her life during this difficult time and hope to continue our relationship for many years to come. I also volunteer virtually for Be My Eyes, which is a phone app that allows people with vision impairments to video call volunteers for help with anything from matching an outfit to identifying the right prescription. It is something I am passionate about because my father has a degenerative eye disease and has lost most of his vision. It is something he has struggled with since the age of 25. Finally, just this year I have started training to be a crisis councilor with the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention efforts among the LGBTQ+ community. I have been committed to being a better ally and felt this was a great opportunity for me to by provide support to LGBTQ+ youth in need of it.

Deana Nail

I shepherd female seminary students through coaching, counseling and mentoring.  I also lead a team of women students who create mentoring and equipping environments for fellow students.

Leigh Neys

After leaving higher ed just as the pandemic started, I launched my own career coaching business to help others reach their career goals. I have been so fortunate to help so many deserving career-focused women!  My aspiration to impart my wisdom to others and help identify opportunities to increase their confidence in pursuing a new career.  I've had so many great mentors myself, my business is a great way to give back to the community that has given me so much.

Carmen Parra

emphasizing their achievements in a very positive way, reinforcing the learning and offering my assistance

Kayla Patterson

Working with Compear.org to host the inaugural Global Respectful Disruption Summit on April 22, 2022. The summit is a joint effort to bring together like-minded individuals for learning and discussion. This will be real talk. This will be uncensored. This will highlight underrepresented voices. https://compear.org/rdsummit

Veronikha Salazar

I have created a WONDER WOMAN WEDNESDAY social media post through my work to highlight the work of women in our institution. We highlight where they are coming from, languages they may speak, what they do and where they work. We highlight faculty, staff, Administrators and students.

Though it is a small thing, it has impacted our students in a big way. They now know who we are, where we come from and what we do.

Khalilah Smith

To empower communities to provide the best educational options to their students of all ages--regardless of their demographics--to better today and tomorrow through the transformative power of a dynamic education.

Alyssa Spicer

I am working with children diagnosed with ASD to help them be able to interact with their world and communicate with those that love them.

Alexandra Steele

Continue to tutor ESL students

Angelique Stevens

My inspiration to help others RISE is closely tied to living out my faith in my day-to-day life. I intend on bringing God's love in a real and tangible way to those around me. I serve as a mentor for students who are part of an honor society at my work place. As another example, I serve communion during Mass as a way to help with the liturgy. I am honored to see God's many people come up and receive him and the love they have for him. My gifts of a compassionate heart can be used for people who may or may not know God, but it is a central part of how I live my life: I want to treat everyone as the unique and wonderful people they are.

Cassy Tefft de Munoz

Early academic outreach to youth is critical for inviting the next generation of doers and makers to create solutions that better our world. Gen Zoom was born out of a pandemic, and has drastically different needs as they develop into future leaders. I am grateful to be in a position to advocate for this generation, and am committed to helping them rise in resiliency.

Taylor Thompson

This year I have finally began my dream of teaching writing skills to others and pursuing my PhD in English so that I can become a professor in the future. Being able to work with the wide variety of students at LSU has enabled me to gain a wider lens for what types of writing skills will be most useful for students, especially, those who struggle academically, to use in real life and in their own future careers. I hope to continue to develop my personal pedagogy practices to be more inclusive of vulnerable populations and to create strategies for spreading effective writing in the community.

Jennifer Toof

I help others RISE through my advocacy for mental health. I am a mental health and trauma therapist for children, teens, and families. I also serve to inspire and teach others the importance of mental health, which is particularly critical in these times of COVID-19 and ongoing racial injustice. I talk to legislators about reducing barriers to accessing mental health in our communities. I also started a Government Relations Committee at my work to educate other therapists on how to use their voices and their experiences to tell their stories to legislators and other elected officials. Together, we can all RISE to address the mental health crisis in our nation!

Lara Tupper

I teach writing classes through my small business, Swift Ink Stories, and encourage all to tell their stories.

Tonya Veltrop

I like to help others RISE by being present and showing up for them when they're in need. For example, a friend recently wanted advice about a job search and a negotiation and we made time together for a very productive conversation. She got the job... AND she increased her starting salary and benefits! On another occasion, a friend needed someone to cover an obligation so that she could visit with her family after a long two-year hiatus and I volunteered to cover her duties so she could have the time away. It's also important for me to simply check in on colleagues, friends and family with simple hellos, notes of encouragement, or other inquiries into significant current events in their world. For me... It's about RISING to the occasion for others. There's nothing better!

Emily Wheeler

I help others RISE by using my voice to advocate for intersectional inclusion.

Jessica Winterringer

Show others to be comfortable in their own skin. It promotes confidence and positivity!

Becca Yount

My company just started employee affinity groups in the last few months, and I volunteered to co-lead the Women's Affinity Group. I wasn't sure what the group would look like, but we've met monthly and covered such topics as Toxic Positivity, Invisible Labor and Negotiating as a Woman. I've been honored to help lead this group, but it wouldn't be what it is without the openness from the colleagues that join us each meeting. It's a space to be authentic and bring everyone's whole self to the conversation, and I can't wait to hear future discussions, and see how we can mobilize this powerful group of women to promote positive change in our organization.