I am a huge fan of "The Office." I cannot tell you how many times I have re-watched all nine seasons over and over again on Netflix. I’m pretty sure if the people at Netflix were tracking me they would think I’m a crazy person. Anyway, the reason I am mentioning this is because one of my favorite episodes touches on something that is very important and relevant as women are beginning to have more equal opportunities in the workplace. “Boy and Girls” which is the fifteenth episode of season two is when Michael’s boss, Jan, comes in to talk to the women of the office about how they feel about their place in the office with a seminar titled “Women in the Workplace.” Jan explains the goal of the seminar is to see if there are any standouts that would be a good addition to the corporate team. While the episode is hilarious it sheds light on an important matter about what it is like to be a woman in a professional workplace.

My mom is retiring next week after 34 years with the City of Seaside. She moved up through the ranks as Junior Engineer, to Assistant Engineer, to Associate Engineer, to Public Works Director, to her position today as Deputy City Manager. Since I was a little girl, she has been a strong role model to me, not just as my mother but as a professional and successful woman. But I know and have witnessed her struggles that she has faced along the way. Men are intimidated and taken aback by the confidence my mother exudes when she walks into a room. She is a petite woman, standing at five foot two inches, but when she speaks before a crowd it’s as if she is six feet tall. This is why I have always admired her and I feel that she is a role model to all women who meet her. Although she has faced times where she wasn’t promoted or given a role because she was not a man, she never once backed down and would put her whole being into the task she was assigned. She never let them see her cry and also put her best face forward when dealing with difficult people. She has worked harder than anyone I have ever met and her accomplishments prove it. She is the type of woman I want to grow up to be both professionally and in the world. (The photo below was taken in 1986 of all the outstanding employees in the city. My mom is in the middle wearing blue. My dad is also pictured, he's the one with the beard and was a police officer in the same city.)

So, this is what I want all of my sisters in the world to do. We are the next generation who will work and live as professionals in the workplace as well as be a wife and mother to people we love the most. With that being said, we need to work hard, put our best self out there, and be strong. Choose a career that you love and whatever you do put your whole self into it. Never take no for an answer and prove to them why you deserve the best. Work for the promotions and the raises, demand equal pay, and exude confidence leaving them the only choice but to respect you. Remember to always take time off for yourself and your family; you deserve that after all the hard work you will be putting in. My mom never left me feeling like I didn’t have time with her. She would always take time off in the summer to have mother-daughter days and those are the memories I remember and cherish the most. I was always thankful that she worked so hard to earn the money she did to make sure I was happy but she also spent one on one quality time with me and that was what meant the most to me. As women, we have just as much right to be there as anyone else, and we deserve equal pay and treatment. Beyoncé says it best — “Who runs the world? Girls.”

Congratulations to my mom on retiring and for 34 years of service! Thank you for being a role model to me and for many other women out there.