This little girl is me.
- She lived in a poor neighborhood outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Neither of her parents spoke English so they worked hard to find the jobs they were qualified for
- Budgets were very tight, so mom sewed a lot of her clothes
- Thanks to mom, she developed her great style early
- She watched her mom package all kinds of gifts to send to her relatives behind the Iron Curtain
- She wondered if she loved those people more
- She didn't have very good grades until they moved to a better school system
- She thought she was very odd and awkward
- She struggled to understand why her parents seemed so different from other parents
- She ventured to her parents' "home country" after college to discover more about what made her and her parents tick
- She finally found a lot of joy in working abroad and discovering herself
- She got interesting corporate jobs
- She chose not to have kids and got married late in life
- Both her parents died from brutal cancers
- She decided to take a pause, then start her own business
- She had a ton of fun learning new things and failing over and over
- Now she speaks out for other women like the woman she is and the girl she was, whenever she has the opportunity
Why am I telling you this?
Because between the ages of 8 and 14, girls’ confidence levels nose-dive by 30 percent (source: The Confidence Code for Girls). They feel more confident about their futures after hearing from women role models.
If I can be a role model to young women, I'm happy to share my ups and downs.
PS. My dad was very proud of his cars! I have many photos of me as a kid in front of them. Gotta love the Karmann Ghia! It's the car I wish they would've kept.
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