Interview #1
Name: Daya Tiye Stanley
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Occupation: Scholar Coach at Gwendolyn Brooks
How do you feel empowered seeing other women around you?
I’ve always been empowered by having women around me. My family is mostly women and oftentimes I’m empowered by them because it gives me a direct representation of what I could possibly do.
Who is a woman in your life that has inspired you?
I would say my grandmother. She’s been through a lot of different struggles in her lifetime. From being a teen mother to recovering from drug addiction. Just seeing the way she faced all those different challenges and still held her daughters and grandkids to higher expectations, as well as supporting us when we chose not to do things like college or building families. She turned 69 last week.
What is your main goal in life?
That’s a hard one because I’m 22 and I do not have a life fully. I think one of my main goals is to find a way to balance serving my community, while also serving myself. I have to support myself and make sure that I’m doing things I enjoy, but I also want to help my community do better.
Have you ever been in a leadership position?
Yes, the last leadership position I was in was event planning at my college--well, at my old college--for a community arts program. I spent a lot of time working with community organizations like the children’s library to plan art events, and the community is not as connected as communities here in Chicago are. It’s kind of like being in a big suburb.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever had to take?
The biggest risk I’ve ever had to take, I think it would probably be starting college. I didn’t really have a plan when I started college, as to what I wanted to get my degree in, or why I was going. But in the process, I learned a lot about how to be connected to my family while also maintaining space for myself. Also, just learning how to manage the challenges I had with housing.
What is a piece of advice that you have for other women?
Do what’s best for you. There’s going to be a lot of people arguing that you do the best for the majority.
What makes a strong woman, in your opinion?
Any woman can be strong, it's a matter of being able to be okay with who you are and what challenges you face.
What are significant barriers in your life that you have had to overcome?
I think about my economic background--I haven’t "overcome" it, but I’ve learned to live with it by utilizing education and resources that help me face things like not having food or traveling. One way I utilized education to help with travel was deciding to go to college, and I studied abroad. When I was a high schooler, I applied to fly in programs. I didn’t necessarily know if I wanted to go to those schools, but I did know I wanted to travel.
Interview #2
Name: Juana Yamileth Fonseca
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Occupation: Educational Counselor
What makes a strong woman?
I think about the women in my life that I really admire, and when I think about a strong woman I think about a woman who is resilient and has faced a lot of obstacles in life and has gotten through them. That person still has the ability to really care for, motivate, and also push others in their really low moments but support them in their highs. Overall, it’s someone you can trust because they want what’s good for you.
Who is a woman who has inspired you?
I have a lot. I’ll talk about my grandmother, my mom’s mom. She has seven children, and grew up really poor in Mexico. She didn’t have a stove when she was married and her house didn’t have a roof, so they had to cover it. She grew up in poverty as a child. Her mom used to work at a bakery and she would take her kids with her so they could get leftovers. She really persevered, worked really hard for her kids, opened up her own business as a young woman. She literally cooked anything you could think of. It was really successful. A lot of people know her in Mexico because of her food business. And she raised 7 kids… I don’t have kids, but anybody who does knows how hard that is, and she was able to get them through and above, and I see that in the way my mom is. Her strength and everything she accomplished inspired me.
How has being a woman affected the way you communicate?
There have been spaces where I’ve been looked at as a caretaker. There have been moments in my life where I was expected to do certain things because I was a girl. It’s like these layers of being a woman but also being Mexican, and holding some of that. Both of my parents are Mexican--they grew up in Mexico--and both of them have this idea of what a woman should and shouldn’t do, which was imposed on me. My parents wanted me to go to school, but there were a lot of double standards. I couldn’t do the same things as my brothers. It’s been a challenge in that lens, but it's been empowering in other areas. I’ve been in positions where I have been inspired by other women, and it’s really great to see the things they’ve done. The women I interacted with in undergrad were really inspirational. It’s been challenging in some ways and rewarding in others.
What is your main goal in life?
Something I’ve always known to be true is this idea of being in a place where I can be with my own community and support students that had similar challenges and indifferences as me. I was first generation, I’m a student of color, a minority, an immigrant, there are a lot of identities that are really important to me, and I know the challenges that come with them. I want to be in a career that allows me to be close to that community but also allows me to continue to grow and learn.
Biggest risk?
Applying to college. My parents didn’t go to college and it seemed like a far-fetched idea for me growing up. I basically navigated my freshman and sophomore year all by myself. Being an immigrant, there was always this idea that I had to get good grades. I also immigrated here so there were a lot of different barriers but when it came to the application process, I learned the hard way of asking for help, and it’s the only way you can get somewhere.
Have you ever been in a leadership role?
At Loyola, I was a resident assistant, and overall I carry some of the traits of my definition of a strong woman within the work that I do. Being an RA, you’re in charge of a group of people. You’re basically there to respond to situations where people are having a crisis, or don’t have their ID. It’s both technical and critical. My gender influenced some of my ways of caring for others. Similarly, I used the traits from my grandmother to respond to others.
What are some barriers you’ve had to encounter and how have you overcome them?
Growing up, I had the expectation from my parents that I had to go into the medical field. My parents immediately wanted me to go to college and become a doctor because it pays very well, and I majored in Biology. I love science, and I volunteered at hospitals. What I really loved was interacting with patients, and that’s how I learned that I want a career that’s interacting with people every day, and it took me a while before I could tell my parents. I never thought I would fall in love with a different career and that medicine wasn’t all there was, and I’ve learned so much here in Schuler and at my undergrad. It really opened my eyes because prior to that, I didn’t know about all these pathways, and the challenge for me was talking to my parents about it. I went better than I expected, so I was able to overcome that.
What is a piece of advice that you have for other women?
Love yourself, really. There are so many expectations out there of what a woman should be, how they should dress, look, should or should not say, and it changes and every place you’re in. Us women face a lot, and sometimes we have to hold ourselves up and love ourselves.
Interview #3
Name: Catherine Clark
Pronouns: she/her
Occupation: The best teacher Chase Jones will ever have
What makes a strong woman in your opinion?
That’s a hard question. I think any person is strong when they have grit and determination, and they never give up no matter how hard it is.
Who is a woman that has inspired you?
My mom. My mother worked her butt off, and being a mom now, I realize how hard she worked for me. My mother has always inspired me, raising 15 kids, keeping her wits about her, and still helping me out everyday, so she’s always been someone who has inspired me.
Have you ever been in a leadership position?
I have been in several positions before, from grammar school to high school to college, and in my professional career. I would argue that being a woman is important, but if you’re confident, reliable, educated, and trustworthy, that makes you a leader, a person people will follow, and less about your gender.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken in life?
Having kids! Cause now I’m responsible for other children, for other people! Of course, I’ve always been responsible for hundreds of people, as a teacher I’m responsible for them… but when it’s your real kids, and you’re legally responsible…
What are significant barriers that you’ve had to interact with, and how have you overcome them?
I think the only barrier I’ve ever had to overcome… there’s a couple. As a female historian, especially in college classes, there was me and maybe like one other girl in my class, but a lot of my professors were also male, but at no point did I feel like I had to defend myself in any way. I play soccer, and I play a position that is tougher. I play goalkeeper and most of my coaches were guys, not girls. I would play in certain leagues where it’s like, because you’re a girl, you were picked last, but if you just get out on the field and show them what you have... I’m a big proponent of “it doesn’t matter who you are, show them what you can do," and I’ll respect you because of that.
What is some advice that you would have for women like you?
Keep working. My big Be of Brooks is Be Relentless, and I truly believe that it might be hard, but somebody always has it harder than you. Whenever I think of refugees and them fleeing a state of war, you always see women with kids on their back and I always think, “Oh my gosh that is one tough person there.” It might sound really weird because I’m a nerd, but when I’m having a rough day I’m always thinking about how hard it is for them. It’s hard for them, it’s hard for everybody, you just keep it moving.
How have other women around you made you feel empowered?
I don’t know Chase, you might have the wrong person for this interview. I think that because you’re a woman you don’t need recognition for XY or Z, and that’s because I’ve had the luxury of growing up in an atmosphere where that is something I’ve never had to face or overcome.
Interview #4
Name: Angel Cal
Pronouns: she/they
Occupation: Junior
Relationship to Chase Jones: Bestie
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever had to take?
I don’t take risks for real, I play it safe.
What is some advice that you would have for other women?
Some advice that I would have for women is to not try to cater yourself to what everybody else wants, and to do what you want to do, regardless of if it makes someone upset or not.
Who is a woman that inspires you?
Rihanna Fenty. She’s an entrepreneur, a businesswoman who was willing to take the risk of stepping out of her music career for many years, even though the demand for it was very high, and she expanded her career in the way she wanted and not the way the public wanted her to.
When have you taken on a leadership position?
Well, I can’t name a specific time where I’ve taken on a specific role, but I don’t know if this has much to do with me being a woman, but sometimes it feels like I’m not listened to as much as other people, so I have to step out to make myself feel heard, especially in situations like group projects or a simple conversation.
What makes a strong woman in your opinion?
A woman! Women are already strong.
What is your main goal in life? And how has being a woman affected the way you communicate with other people?
My main goal is to be happy and comfortable. And… I like to bully men and compliment beautiful women.
Interview #5 (Double Interview)
Allyse Walker and Minali Brosnan
What is a strong woman in your opinion?
Allyse: A strong woman is one that doesn’t need a man in her life, and is independent and comfortable in your skin, like me.
Minali: What she said. A woman who is strong doesn’t need anybody.
Have you ever had a leadership role in your life?
Allyse: Well, I’ve had a leadership role at my job. I’m my chef’s sous chef, and she’s a woman, so I feel like it has helped me grow, but at the same time, not like kids.
What are some barriers that you’ve had to overcome?
Allyse: Well, being a woman is hard, because I have to wake up every morning and do things that I don’t want to do.
Minali: Everybody has to do that, Allyse.
Allyse: I have two jobs by the way. One of them is very male dominated, so there are a lot of men talking over me and right now we’re having elections and all of them are running for president. There’s this one girl who’s also running, so I’m going to vote for her.
Minali: I haven’t faced many barriers, but there have been times that people haven’t listened to me or voted for me for student council simply because I’m a girl.
Who is a woman that inspires you?
Allyse: My mom.
Minali: Allyse Walker.
One is one piece of advice that you have for women?
Allyse: I feel like women have it ten times harder than men, so never give up.
Minali: Always work harder and never give up on your dreams.
Interview: Kerry Dolan
Occupation: Assistant Principal
Pronouns: She/Her
Relationship to Chase Jones: Amazing Human Being
What makes a strong woman in your opinion?
Before being able to support other people, knows who she is, and is able to fully explore all these aspects to lean on her strengths and support others, while also being reflective about her areas of growth and leaning into those to become a better person.
Who is a woman who has inspired you?
My grandmother inspired me a lot. She grew up in an era where women and postsecondary options were not always congruent. She grew up in North Carolina, a Jewish woman in the 1940s, going to college with multiple factors going against her. She graduated early, went to New York City, and eventually moved to Chicago almost two decades later and had an extremely illustrious career in the fashion world. She picked out items for different clothing stores and raised a family and eschewed a lot of traditional ideas in favor of what she felt was right, so I have a lot of respect for her.
How has being a woman affected the way you communicate?
Although education and the teaching field is a predominantly woman-populated community, as you examine the ascending ladder in education, it becomes more male. I had to learn what appropriate communication looked like, and I really had to learn from having grown up in a family where my filter was not a thing to going to professional instances where I couldn’t swear. So, I almost had to relearn how to be feminine in the workplace and adapt from there in terms of when I can be more of an imposing figure as a woman. That’s an interesting dichotomy of traditional values that people look for, and operating outside of the gender binary.
What is your main goal in life?
To be a good human. I try to live my work and my career by doing that in a number of ways, like my parenting and my relationships with people. I just try to be the best person I can be, and everything falls in line behind that.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever had to take?
Choosing to study abroad. I was a rising senior in college. I had been out of the country to the Dominican Republic for college at that point, but I had never traveled on my own, and all of my peers were going to London, and Paris, and Los Angeles, and all of these tourist friendly places where they would be getting along with the language pretty easily, and I was like “I’m going to go to Morocco." Morocco, at least in part, was colonized by France eons ago, and a large amount of Moroccans still speak French. At the time I wanted to be a foreign war correspondent, so I thought that if I went to Morocco, I could lean on my French while learning Arabic. Morocco seemed like a place with a lot of rich history, and I did not want to follow the same path that all of my peers were following.
What are some barriers you’ve had to overcome?
One of the most significant barriers was my upbringing. My father was an alcoholic for several years, and he died of an overdose when I was 22. That was really challenging, but growing up with parents who had substance abuse issues taught me to be more cognizant about how I interact with substances, and more empathetic towards people with mental health disorders, whether they are substance related. I think it overall made me more responsive to what people need for me, because I struggled through a lot of things that people wouldn’t normally see. It made me hyper aware about the fact that people struggle with things that are not visible to us, making me more responsive and better at my job ultimately.
What is a piece of advice you have for women?
Find your people, regardless of if they’re other women or not, but ideally have some other women in your people. My people come from various walks of life and backgrounds, but at the end of the day, they’re people that I know have my back. I have a friend that has a really colorful past, but at the end of the day I know that if I need her, she’ll have my back. A few years ago I had surgery and everyone I knew was busy, so I asked her if she could pick me up from the hospital. She picked me up without question, so I think that being a woman and ascending to more power requires a support system, whether it is one that you were born into or one that you cultivate.
Name: Daya Tiye Stanley
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Occupation: Scholar Coach at Gwendolyn Brooks
How do you feel empowered seeing other women around you?
I’ve always been empowered by having women around me. My family is mostly women and oftentimes I’m empowered by them because it gives me a direct representation of what I could possibly do.
Who is a woman in your life that has inspired you?
I would say my grandmother. She’s been through a lot of different struggles in her lifetime. From being a teen mother to recovering from drug addiction. Just seeing the way she faced all those different challenges and still held her daughters and grandkids to higher expectations, as well as supporting us when we chose not to do things like college or building families. She turned 69 last week.
What is your main goal in life?
That’s a hard one because I’m 22 and I do not have a life fully. I think one of my main goals is to find a way to balance serving my community, while also serving myself. I have to support myself and make sure that I’m doing things I enjoy, but I also want to help my community do better.
Have you ever been in a leadership position?
Yes, the last leadership position I was in was event planning at my college--well, at my old college--for a community arts program. I spent a lot of time working with community organizations like the children’s library to plan art events, and the community is not as connected as communities here in Chicago are. It’s kind of like being in a big suburb.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever had to take?
The biggest risk I’ve ever had to take, I think it would probably be starting college. I didn’t really have a plan when I started college, as to what I wanted to get my degree in, or why I was going. But in the process, I learned a lot about how to be connected to my family while also maintaining space for myself. Also, just learning how to manage the challenges I had with housing.
What is a piece of advice that you have for other women?
Do what’s best for you. There’s going to be a lot of people arguing that you do the best for the majority.
What makes a strong woman, in your opinion?
Any woman can be strong, it's a matter of being able to be okay with who you are and what challenges you face.
What are significant barriers in your life that you have had to overcome?
I think about my economic background--I haven’t "overcome" it, but I’ve learned to live with it by utilizing education and resources that help me face things like not having food or traveling. One way I utilized education to help with travel was deciding to go to college, and I studied abroad. When I was a high schooler, I applied to fly in programs. I didn’t necessarily know if I wanted to go to those schools, but I did know I wanted to travel.
Interview #2
Name: Juana Yamileth Fonseca
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Occupation: Educational Counselor
What makes a strong woman?
I think about the women in my life that I really admire, and when I think about a strong woman I think about a woman who is resilient and has faced a lot of obstacles in life and has gotten through them. That person still has the ability to really care for, motivate, and also push others in their really low moments but support them in their highs. Overall, it’s someone you can trust because they want what’s good for you.
Who is a woman who has inspired you?
I have a lot. I’ll talk about my grandmother, my mom’s mom. She has seven children, and grew up really poor in Mexico. She didn’t have a stove when she was married and her house didn’t have a roof, so they had to cover it. She grew up in poverty as a child. Her mom used to work at a bakery and she would take her kids with her so they could get leftovers. She really persevered, worked really hard for her kids, opened up her own business as a young woman. She literally cooked anything you could think of. It was really successful. A lot of people know her in Mexico because of her food business. And she raised 7 kids… I don’t have kids, but anybody who does knows how hard that is, and she was able to get them through and above, and I see that in the way my mom is. Her strength and everything she accomplished inspired me.
How has being a woman affected the way you communicate?
There have been spaces where I’ve been looked at as a caretaker. There have been moments in my life where I was expected to do certain things because I was a girl. It’s like these layers of being a woman but also being Mexican, and holding some of that. Both of my parents are Mexican--they grew up in Mexico--and both of them have this idea of what a woman should and shouldn’t do, which was imposed on me. My parents wanted me to go to school, but there were a lot of double standards. I couldn’t do the same things as my brothers. It’s been a challenge in that lens, but it's been empowering in other areas. I’ve been in positions where I have been inspired by other women, and it’s really great to see the things they’ve done. The women I interacted with in undergrad were really inspirational. It’s been challenging in some ways and rewarding in others.
What is your main goal in life?
Something I’ve always known to be true is this idea of being in a place where I can be with my own community and support students that had similar challenges and indifferences as me. I was first generation, I’m a student of color, a minority, an immigrant, there are a lot of identities that are really important to me, and I know the challenges that come with them. I want to be in a career that allows me to be close to that community but also allows me to continue to grow and learn.
Biggest risk?
Applying to college. My parents didn’t go to college and it seemed like a far-fetched idea for me growing up. I basically navigated my freshman and sophomore year all by myself. Being an immigrant, there was always this idea that I had to get good grades. I also immigrated here so there were a lot of different barriers but when it came to the application process, I learned the hard way of asking for help, and it’s the only way you can get somewhere.
Have you ever been in a leadership role?
At Loyola, I was a resident assistant, and overall I carry some of the traits of my definition of a strong woman within the work that I do. Being an RA, you’re in charge of a group of people. You’re basically there to respond to situations where people are having a crisis, or don’t have their ID. It’s both technical and critical. My gender influenced some of my ways of caring for others. Similarly, I used the traits from my grandmother to respond to others.
What are some barriers you’ve had to encounter and how have you overcome them?
Growing up, I had the expectation from my parents that I had to go into the medical field. My parents immediately wanted me to go to college and become a doctor because it pays very well, and I majored in Biology. I love science, and I volunteered at hospitals. What I really loved was interacting with patients, and that’s how I learned that I want a career that’s interacting with people every day, and it took me a while before I could tell my parents. I never thought I would fall in love with a different career and that medicine wasn’t all there was, and I’ve learned so much here in Schuler and at my undergrad. It really opened my eyes because prior to that, I didn’t know about all these pathways, and the challenge for me was talking to my parents about it. I went better than I expected, so I was able to overcome that.
What is a piece of advice that you have for other women?
Love yourself, really. There are so many expectations out there of what a woman should be, how they should dress, look, should or should not say, and it changes and every place you’re in. Us women face a lot, and sometimes we have to hold ourselves up and love ourselves.
Interview #3
Name: Catherine Clark
Pronouns: she/her
Occupation: The best teacher Chase Jones will ever have
What makes a strong woman in your opinion?
That’s a hard question. I think any person is strong when they have grit and determination, and they never give up no matter how hard it is.
Who is a woman that has inspired you?
My mom. My mother worked her butt off, and being a mom now, I realize how hard she worked for me. My mother has always inspired me, raising 15 kids, keeping her wits about her, and still helping me out everyday, so she’s always been someone who has inspired me.
Have you ever been in a leadership position?
I have been in several positions before, from grammar school to high school to college, and in my professional career. I would argue that being a woman is important, but if you’re confident, reliable, educated, and trustworthy, that makes you a leader, a person people will follow, and less about your gender.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken in life?
Having kids! Cause now I’m responsible for other children, for other people! Of course, I’ve always been responsible for hundreds of people, as a teacher I’m responsible for them… but when it’s your real kids, and you’re legally responsible…
What are significant barriers that you’ve had to interact with, and how have you overcome them?
I think the only barrier I’ve ever had to overcome… there’s a couple. As a female historian, especially in college classes, there was me and maybe like one other girl in my class, but a lot of my professors were also male, but at no point did I feel like I had to defend myself in any way. I play soccer, and I play a position that is tougher. I play goalkeeper and most of my coaches were guys, not girls. I would play in certain leagues where it’s like, because you’re a girl, you were picked last, but if you just get out on the field and show them what you have... I’m a big proponent of “it doesn’t matter who you are, show them what you can do," and I’ll respect you because of that.
What is some advice that you would have for women like you?
Keep working. My big Be of Brooks is Be Relentless, and I truly believe that it might be hard, but somebody always has it harder than you. Whenever I think of refugees and them fleeing a state of war, you always see women with kids on their back and I always think, “Oh my gosh that is one tough person there.” It might sound really weird because I’m a nerd, but when I’m having a rough day I’m always thinking about how hard it is for them. It’s hard for them, it’s hard for everybody, you just keep it moving.
How have other women around you made you feel empowered?
I don’t know Chase, you might have the wrong person for this interview. I think that because you’re a woman you don’t need recognition for XY or Z, and that’s because I’ve had the luxury of growing up in an atmosphere where that is something I’ve never had to face or overcome.
Interview #4
Name: Angel Cal
Pronouns: she/they
Occupation: Junior
Relationship to Chase Jones: Bestie
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever had to take?
I don’t take risks for real, I play it safe.
What is some advice that you would have for other women?
Some advice that I would have for women is to not try to cater yourself to what everybody else wants, and to do what you want to do, regardless of if it makes someone upset or not.
Who is a woman that inspires you?
Rihanna Fenty. She’s an entrepreneur, a businesswoman who was willing to take the risk of stepping out of her music career for many years, even though the demand for it was very high, and she expanded her career in the way she wanted and not the way the public wanted her to.
When have you taken on a leadership position?
Well, I can’t name a specific time where I’ve taken on a specific role, but I don’t know if this has much to do with me being a woman, but sometimes it feels like I’m not listened to as much as other people, so I have to step out to make myself feel heard, especially in situations like group projects or a simple conversation.
What makes a strong woman in your opinion?
A woman! Women are already strong.
What is your main goal in life? And how has being a woman affected the way you communicate with other people?
My main goal is to be happy and comfortable. And… I like to bully men and compliment beautiful women.
Interview #5 (Double Interview)
Allyse Walker and Minali Brosnan
What is a strong woman in your opinion?
Allyse: A strong woman is one that doesn’t need a man in her life, and is independent and comfortable in your skin, like me.
Minali: What she said. A woman who is strong doesn’t need anybody.
Have you ever had a leadership role in your life?
Allyse: Well, I’ve had a leadership role at my job. I’m my chef’s sous chef, and she’s a woman, so I feel like it has helped me grow, but at the same time, not like kids.
What are some barriers that you’ve had to overcome?
Allyse: Well, being a woman is hard, because I have to wake up every morning and do things that I don’t want to do.
Minali: Everybody has to do that, Allyse.
Allyse: I have two jobs by the way. One of them is very male dominated, so there are a lot of men talking over me and right now we’re having elections and all of them are running for president. There’s this one girl who’s also running, so I’m going to vote for her.
Minali: I haven’t faced many barriers, but there have been times that people haven’t listened to me or voted for me for student council simply because I’m a girl.
Who is a woman that inspires you?
Allyse: My mom.
Minali: Allyse Walker.
One is one piece of advice that you have for women?
Allyse: I feel like women have it ten times harder than men, so never give up.
Minali: Always work harder and never give up on your dreams.
Interview: Kerry Dolan
Occupation: Assistant Principal
Pronouns: She/Her
Relationship to Chase Jones: Amazing Human Being
What makes a strong woman in your opinion?
Before being able to support other people, knows who she is, and is able to fully explore all these aspects to lean on her strengths and support others, while also being reflective about her areas of growth and leaning into those to become a better person.
Who is a woman who has inspired you?
My grandmother inspired me a lot. She grew up in an era where women and postsecondary options were not always congruent. She grew up in North Carolina, a Jewish woman in the 1940s, going to college with multiple factors going against her. She graduated early, went to New York City, and eventually moved to Chicago almost two decades later and had an extremely illustrious career in the fashion world. She picked out items for different clothing stores and raised a family and eschewed a lot of traditional ideas in favor of what she felt was right, so I have a lot of respect for her.
How has being a woman affected the way you communicate?
Although education and the teaching field is a predominantly woman-populated community, as you examine the ascending ladder in education, it becomes more male. I had to learn what appropriate communication looked like, and I really had to learn from having grown up in a family where my filter was not a thing to going to professional instances where I couldn’t swear. So, I almost had to relearn how to be feminine in the workplace and adapt from there in terms of when I can be more of an imposing figure as a woman. That’s an interesting dichotomy of traditional values that people look for, and operating outside of the gender binary.
What is your main goal in life?
To be a good human. I try to live my work and my career by doing that in a number of ways, like my parenting and my relationships with people. I just try to be the best person I can be, and everything falls in line behind that.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever had to take?
Choosing to study abroad. I was a rising senior in college. I had been out of the country to the Dominican Republic for college at that point, but I had never traveled on my own, and all of my peers were going to London, and Paris, and Los Angeles, and all of these tourist friendly places where they would be getting along with the language pretty easily, and I was like “I’m going to go to Morocco." Morocco, at least in part, was colonized by France eons ago, and a large amount of Moroccans still speak French. At the time I wanted to be a foreign war correspondent, so I thought that if I went to Morocco, I could lean on my French while learning Arabic. Morocco seemed like a place with a lot of rich history, and I did not want to follow the same path that all of my peers were following.
What are some barriers you’ve had to overcome?
One of the most significant barriers was my upbringing. My father was an alcoholic for several years, and he died of an overdose when I was 22. That was really challenging, but growing up with parents who had substance abuse issues taught me to be more cognizant about how I interact with substances, and more empathetic towards people with mental health disorders, whether they are substance related. I think it overall made me more responsive to what people need for me, because I struggled through a lot of things that people wouldn’t normally see. It made me hyper aware about the fact that people struggle with things that are not visible to us, making me more responsive and better at my job ultimately.
What is a piece of advice you have for women?
Find your people, regardless of if they’re other women or not, but ideally have some other women in your people. My people come from various walks of life and backgrounds, but at the end of the day, they’re people that I know have my back. I have a friend that has a really colorful past, but at the end of the day I know that if I need her, she’ll have my back. A few years ago I had surgery and everyone I knew was busy, so I asked her if she could pick me up from the hospital. She picked me up without question, so I think that being a woman and ascending to more power requires a support system, whether it is one that you were born into or one that you cultivate.
Chase JOnes
