Who is a woman who’s made an impact on your career? "The impact does not always have to be a positive one. Let me explain."
- preferredtalent
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
There is a HOT TOPIC on LinkedIn right now. I suggest joining in the conversation!
The question is:
Who is a woman who’s made an impact on your career? hashtag#IWD26
We asked AI the title of this blog. This is what it produced.
Preferred Talent responded by a letter from our Founder:
Who is a woman who’s made an impact on your career? #IWD26
The impact does not always have to be a positive one. Let me explain.
During my bachelor’s degree, I had a female professor who refused to let me take a leave of absence to care for my dying grandmother, who later passed away. That decision stayed with me.
What made it even more striking was that this professor had once been a high-level executive at a very well-known company whose products most people have encountered. Yet in one of the most tender and painful moments of my life, there was no space for compassion.
My grandmother lived with us and was a tremendous foundation in my life. Beyond my parents, she was one of the greatest influences on my Christian faith. She helped raise me from infancy. She “cleaned my dirty diaper,” just as much as my parents did, me and my brothers. It truly takes a village to raise a child.
When I explained my situation to another professor, a man who was also a retired executive, his response was completely different. With empathy, he told me: “There is nothing more important than family and close friends, especially those who stick by you as brother or sister. You can always conduct business and find another contract, but nothing is as important as the contract between loved ones.”
The contrast between those two responses shocked me.
I ended up receiving an entire grade lower in the class. I was not happy about it, but I stood with dignity because I know I did the right thing. I had closure. I paid my respects. I uplifed my mom, by being there at the death of her mom.
It reminded me of my master's degree ethics class discussion on the movie "With Honors" 1994. (If you've never seen it, I'd recommend it as a great weekend throwback film.) Which guardedly asks the questions of... what does "with honors" truly mean?
My bachelor's degree "soul care" experience became a lasting reminder that achievement, titles, and prestige mean very little if we do not know how to care for the human soul. My master's degree experience taught me that empathy is greatly important and that soul care is a necessity in all fields, but especially in medicine and law.
Understanding soul care has been a lifelong journey for me, and it is too often overlooked. If it were not for the soul care of my Lord and Savior, my parents, my grandmother, my family, and my close friends, life would feel deeply empty.
So on this International Women’s Day, I honor my bachelor's degree teacher because she taught me an indirect, valuable life lesson. I also honor all women not only for their strength, but for their capacity for empathy. We may not always understand the battles another woman is facing, but we can choose to meet one another with grace, compassion, and humanity.
Happy Women’s Day to all my fellow sisters in womanhood and to all the men who support women. 👏
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