Kenzanites share their STEM leadership tips on International Women’s Day

Compiled by Liz Coolman, Agile Solutions Professional

While it’s a proven fact that diversity is great for business, less than 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. The statistics are considerably lower in STEM. Exasperated grimace.

How do we disrupt this inequality?

As a woman-led organization and as believers in the value of inclusivity, we solicited advice from a few of our female / non-binary peers on achieving success in the STEM field. Our questions ranged from perspectives on career growth to lessons learned, and aim to inspire women along their professional journey. As female contributors, we hope you get the same resolve from these responses as we did.

Happy International Women’s Day! What professional achievement are you most proud of?

• “Earning my degree. Back then girls weren’t supposed to be engineers. I was the only one in my classes, but I stuck it out through some tough circumstances.” Sarah Hampton, Technical Architect
• “My first large client project at Kenzan — so many learning curves but so much learned.” Alee Khang, Backend Developer
• “I’m proud of the unique career path I’ve taken. I have a Marine Biology degree, was a tour guide, ran a nature center, among a bunch of other things. For a long time it felt like wandering, but I’ve learned critical things in each experience that brought me here.” Kate Pisano, Training & Development Manager
• “Having tried something entirely new multiple times over my career.” Hillary Reser, Sr. Agile Solutions Professional
• “Any time I am able to help others learn and develop their skills (so the 3–4 times I have gotten to develop large scale learning platforms or programs that help folks learn and skill up en-masse it is very exciting).” Enna Kladstrup, Sr. Agile Solutions Professional

What is a challenge that you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

• “I can be a little too direct — and I’m not sure I have overcome it. Rather, learning to use it with care.” Elisa Hebert, Head of Operations and Client Solutions
• “Getting burned out. I changed jobs and took on new roles and challenges that took me out of my comfort zone.” Sarah Hampton
• “Saying no! Still so difficult but I’m working on it. I hate to disappoint people, but I’ve learned that people generally appreciate you being clear up front rather than missing commitments later on.” Kate Pisano
• “Feeling confident enough in my knowledge of something to speak up, especially when starting something new. Still a work in progress, honestly, but I’m getting better at trusting myself to not embarrass myself.” Hillary Reser
• “Learning how to ask for a raise and a promotion.” Enna Kladstrup

Which women inspire you the most and why?

• “So so many. Most recently Greta Thunberg’s conviction and courage to speak truth to power.” Kate Pisano
• “My mom & my sisters, because I know how hard they try.” Alee Khang
• “Bozoma Saint John — a fabulous public image of powerful women in the workplace, Brene Brown — inspirational, research-based life-lessons on leadership, vulnerability and perfectionism.” Enna Kladstrup
• “My mom is my inspiration. She is one of the smartest people I know and she fought hard to get a college degree when that was considered taboo. After her stroke last year, I’ve seen how hard she fights every day to do everyday things we take for granted. She never gives up, and I can only hope I’m as strong a person as she is.” Sarah Hampton
• “Ella Baker — she is my ultimate history crush. Total badass and driving force behind the organizing tactics and philosophical commitments of the Civil Rights movement generally but of SNCC in particular.” Hillary Reser
• “Laverne Cox, Simone Biles, Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They are fierce, brilliant, and unafraid. They are authentic and use their platforms to reach over, up, and down, and champion for others.” Elisa Hebert

How do you ensure your continued professional growth?

• “I make the time for myself to learn and when it’s time to go home, I go home. Very few things are important enough to keep you from yourself.” Carlin Weirick, Talent Coordinator
• “I’ve more recently learned how important it is to be clear and articulate about my career goals, even if they aren’t fully formed. It doesn’t serve anyone to let others assume what your goals are.” Kate Pisano
• “Willingness to try new things, even if it’s scary. Willingness to learn, always.” Hillary Reser
• “Work hard + talk to your manager.” Alee Khang
• “I am constantly trying to learn and grow, and if my current position is not intrinsically creating growth for me I search out MeetUps, Online Training Videos, mentors I can observe at work, and books to bring my practice to a new level (whether or not my “leveling-up” is being requested by my employer at the time).” Enna Kladstrup

What have you observed to be a consistent hurdle for women in your field?

• “I see time and time again women’s voices not actually being heard and acted upon.” Carlin Weirick
• “Confidence in their voice.” Elisa Hebert
• “I think many women, including myself, have taken on the work of managing colleagues’ emotional needs when it’s not their job. While sometimes this can be a skill used well, I find that it often distracts and takes time from accomplishing larger goals for the organization.” Kate Pisano
• “I don’t see many women in my field…but from what I’ve seen, women are more prone to being afraid to ask questions.” Alee Khang
• “Women are often not listened to in the way that men are, even when it’s obvious that said men are spouting BS, and the woman actually knows what she’s talking about.” Hillary Reser

What experiences have benefitted your career in unexpected ways?

• “Moving overseas and working there for several years gave me unique insights into cultural differences. These have made me better equipped to handle different points of view and ways of doing things.” Sarah Hampton
• “In the moment, I would have never expected the benefit and what the future holds when deciding to leave a job, but it’s always benefitted me professionally and personally.” Carlin Weirick
• “I’m surprised every day! I’ve worked with many different audiences and clients, so I’m able to connect with a lot of people. Working with a catering company gave me event management skills that I have used in every role since then.” Kate Pisano
• “Watching other people work. I really enjoy watching and learning from other people — you can learn a lot observing colleagues excel in their element.” Enna Kladstrup
• “Playing sports and being on teams my whole life has been a huge asset, though I don’t think I’d necessarily say that is unexpected (surveys say…). But the idea of being in something together, and the impulse to help out and protect your teammates/coworkers, are things I am very thankful to have internalized because of my experiences playing team sports.” Hillary Reser

What is the best career advice you have ever received?

• “Never apologize for your experience inside and outside of work, even if it doesn’t seem relevant. It’s all relevant!” Carlin Weirick
• “Constantly re-evaluate your “why” and proceed accordingly. Your 10-year career view is not static. It’s a living conversation with yourself. Also, listen more, but do not let yourself get pushed into a back seat. Your voice is important. (That last bit I credit to all-girls K-12 education, but it applies here too.)” Elisa Hebert
• “If you can’t get out of it, you have to get into it — not just making ‘drudge’ work fun, but understanding that even the mundane processes are part of a bigger picture. This has helped me turn seemingly small roles into big opportunities for growth.” Kate Pisano
• “To never forget the importance of finding your people. That can make even the most difficult and frustrating work manageable.” Hillary Reser
• “RTFM…lol.” Alee Khang

We hope your International Women’s Day was as reflective as ours!

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