Tishamarie Ann Strasser knows how to string words together. Read on app
appI want you to believe in yourself fiercely and know you are worthy.app
appFind your voice and strength so that you can dream big and live your happiest life (remember, this is your life).app
appI want you to see yourself through a filter that sees you for all you are, a filter that sees the authentic, unique you, unfiltered, raw and real.app
appI want you to know that you have it in you, even when you think you donappt.app
Those empowering words were just part of a appDear Brave Girls & Womenapp message that Strasser shared last week via a Facebook post on her nonprofit organizationapps Bring It-Push It-Own It page.
It was International Womenapps Day, March 8, and for Strasser that just meant the celebration was continuing. A week earlier, her nonprofit organization hosted a sold-out breakfast March 2 as a prelude to the day that drew about 310 people, Strasser said. She shared her appDear Brave Girls & Womenapp message, in its entirety, at the event.
The breakfast, where 20 people were recognized, is just one of many events that have been scheduled locally and elsewhere during March, which is also Womenapps History Month.
Weappll take our moment, our minutes, our month in the spotlight app each and every time they come around.
As former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said, appIt took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.app
So much to celebrate.
The Womenapps Fund of Greater Fort Wayne, for example, on Wednesday released its second scorecard that celebrates employers who are leading the way when it comes to creating opportunities and cultures that allow females to thrive in the workplace.
Multiple employers, identified by completing a voluntary survey, were recognized for meeting criteria in all four key categories: leadership, compensation, benefits and policies, and recruitment and retention. And the list of honored employers ranged from regular businesses to nonprofits, local government agencies and educational institutions.
Another bright spot comes from a news release Euromonitor International issued last week. It said that since the start of the millennium, the number of women students in higher education institutions has increased by 169%.
appThe number of women students has not only overtaken but also surpassed the number of men students, by 13.9 million in 2023,app said Jacques Olivier, research consultant at Euromonitor International.
The London-based business, which has analysts in more than 100 countries, provides global business intelligence, market analysis and consumer insights.
Yet so many challenges app locally and beyond app remain.
appDespite the fact that real income growth over the last five years was higher for women, womenapps average disposable income remains 31% lower than those of men worldwide,app Olivier said in the same news release that celebrated the educational gains. appIncome inequality remains one of the most significant obstacles faced by woman in reaching gender equality.app
Strasser wants to encourage females, starting at a young age, so theyappll know they can achieve app even if it sometimes means acting as their own champion, their own hero.
Sheapps seen too many instances where girls and women hesitate to go after what they want. They settle, Strasser said in a brief interview Thursday.
But settling shouldnappt be acceptable.
appWe have to dream big,app Strasser said, appand we have to show up for ourselves, even when we donappt want to.app
To share a thought, a favorite quote or other wisdom about leadership, email Lisa Green at lisagreen@jg.net. Lead On also appears online as a blog at .
