Speaker: Maria Arias, Director of Marketing, Banyan
Why is Women’s History Month important to you? How are you celebrating?
Maria Arias: International Women's month to me is extremely important, because it's an opportunity for myself and others to celebrate the pioneers who have made it viable for me to have a seat at the table and to continue to break barriers. It's an opportunity for my generation and the generations to come, to continue to break these glass ceilings. And this month, I celebrate by amplifying all other women's voices, whether they're colleagues, whether they're peers, whether they're family and friends, making sure that they're heard.
2022's International Women's Day theme is #BreakTheBias. Can you speak to biases we can work to break in our communities and/or workplaces?
Maria Arias: Conscious and subconscious bias live everywhere, especially in today's workplace. And stereotyping is one that we as women, should work amongst each other to ensure that we ourselves aren't stereotyping. However, also working hard with our male allies to make sure that the subconscious bias is being addressed and that we're asking ourselves the right questions and using tools and trainings to understand what that can look like and how to break that bias.
What advice would you give to the next generation of women as they begin their careers?
Maria Arias: The new generation coming into the workforce are a force to be reckoned with, so they are definitely already light years ahead of our generations. However, one thing that doesn't skip a generation is imposter syndrome and doubting yourself. Remember to believe in yourself. Remember that you got there on your merits and your intuition and your voice should always be heard not only not only by you, which is the primary person that you need to listen to, but also those around you. So continue to push hard and believe in yourself.
