Winners Don't Quit!

Women of Color Share Their Secrets of Success

What advice do you have for other women who want to achieve success?

Janet Garber (Executive of the Year) advises women to focus on doing what they love and to develop clear career goals: "Find something you enjoy doing, and attack it with a passion," she says: "Define your goal. Evaluate the skills, training, and experience that you will need, and then pursue them! Be careful to be honest in judging your own abilities. Seek mentors that you admire to advise you."

ForDeborah Holmes (Career Achievement in Government), having faith in one's own abilities is important to success: "The best advice I can provide to other women who want to achieve success in information technology is to know and understand that their personal drive and imagination will overcome perceived limitations. If you believe you can, you will. If you feel stifled, develop strategies and make changes.... Be a good listener, open and receptive to new and innovative concepts.... Whatever your areas of expertise, be the best and only compete against yourself."

Can you see yourself being successful? Do you know what success will look like if you find it?

Debra Johnson(Corporate Responsibility) believes that having a vision for your career is vital: "Have a vision: You must first believe in yourself and have the self-confidence to display your own abilities and character in order to convince others that you can achieve your goals. Then you are ready to lay out a vision and persuade others to follow you."

Similar advice is offered by Lt. Col. Amicitia I. Maloon-Gibson, U.S. Army (Affirmative Action): "Visualize success, seek good mentors, and learn from mistakes. Persistence, this is the key to success, but you must keep the faith and stay in the race, because the end is better than the beginning. You must know yourself, know your job, and your field of expertise.... Your attitude, character, and integrity determine your altitude. Develop goals that are specific and attainable, and remain balanced," she counsels. Her views coincide with the comments we heard from many others.

But don't forget the basics, advises Pamela Baker (Managerial Leadership in Government): "You need to learn the fundamentals of the organization you are working in. One way to gain that knowledge is to keep moving. You need to look both vertically and horizontally when seeking career moves."

What do you have to say to those who discouraged you from trying to attain your career goals and who didn't think you could succeed?

Most of this year's winners were surrounded by supportive, helpful role models who taught them that they could achieve any dream they were willing to work for. Expectations, for the most part, were high for them. But a few experienced negative reactions to their ambitions.

Rosa Cassidy (Technical Innovation) remembers a math teacher who advised her not to pursue a technical or scientific career because it would be too difficult. Says Cassidy today: "I am grateful that I followed my own instincts."

Un Morris (Career Achievement in Industry) found a faith in herself that overcame the doubters: "Clear goals, perseverance, and willingness to take the hard way will always prevail," she believes.

Many would feel a connection with Karen Johnson (Educational Leadership): "I don't think there was anyone in my life who thought I couldn't be successful. I grew up in what some might consider the inner city, but I never saw that as an obstacle or barrier. I saw it as an opportunity. College was always an expectation for me."

Success eventually will silence the negative voices, Victoria Lowe (Businesswoman of the Year) says: "I think almost every woman has heard once or twice that they couldn't or shouldn't or wouldn't be able to succeed. And for some women, the odds seemed stacked greater and higher. Believe in yourself and the passion of pursuit: these are some of the sweetest victories!"

What are the 'keys' to succeeding as a woman in government or the defense industries?

Are there special guidelines for becoming successful that apply to women more than men or that apply specifically to careers in government and defense-related industries?

"I think the key to success in life is to try your best and respect yourself and others," says Maria Nadal, Ph.D. (Research Leadership): "Barriers can be overcome with hard work, education, and determination."

Jong-on Hahm, Ph.D. (Community Service) believes the traits that lead to success are "the same as for any other industry: perseverance, hard work, networking, and most of all, enjoying your job."

Cadet 1st Class Sarah Salazar of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Student Leadership) says, "Do not let gender or racial comments ever affect you. The two best things you can do are prove yourself through hard work and determination, and handle rude comments gracefully."

Yazmin Seda-Sanabria (Technical Innovation) thinks women may approach success somewhat differently than men: "I have learned that one of the key aspects to succeeding as a woman is intimately related to having effective social interaction and communications skills.... The dynamic prioritization of tasks is essential." And she offers: "It is critical not to be afraid of sharing or delegating responsibility."

Lt. Col. Wanda Smith, U.S. Air Force (Community Service), points out that it is important to "be able to recognize the difference between movement and action. You must know how to make things happen... Never settle for 'good enough.' Strive to be one of the best, then share the knowledge."

Victoria Nguyen (New Media Leadership in Industry) offers tips that might apply to all: "Be honest. Be yourself. Be curious; never stop asking questions. Think outside of the box. Be thorough. Be patient; everything takes twice or three times longer to accomplish. Be passionate about your interests. Be compassionate; practice active listening. Be respectful. Demand respect through your actions."

1st Lt. Rohan Quarles, U.S. Air Force (Research Leadership), thinks that the "keys" to success are the same for everyone: "I believe that a person must always maintain a high sense of integrity, flexibility, and compassion. It is also important to maintain a high level of technical and professional expertise."

Janice Sylvestre (Lifetime Achievement) looks to personal qualities for success: "For me, the keys are integrity (Hold fast to what you believe, but be willing to hear all sides of an issue before reaching a decision.); persistence (Don't give up until the last manager says no, and then start looking for alternatives.); and creativity (There are always alternatives.)."

Moonja Kim (Lifetime Achievement) believes that to be truly successful, one must be willing to offer more. She thinks that success results from "putting in extra hours, extra energy, and producing results people can recognize." And she adds that it is important to be assertive and persistent: "Don't be discouraged when some people ignore your ideas."

What have you learned from experience that you wish you had known earlier in life?

Successful people never stop learning. They learn from personal experience. They go back to school. They learn from their coworkers. What are some of the lessons learned by these women of color?

Eileen Saenz (Student Leadership) says, "In college, I learned that in order to succeed, you need more than a high G.P.A. In high school, I was never involved in any organizations, and I concentrated mostly on grades. I quickly learned that in order to be acknowledged, especially at a university, you must be involved and make yourself recognized."

Stacey Jones-Speight (New Media Leadership in Industry) looks back on her earlier career experiences: "I wish I had valued more the time I spent programming. When I was a programmer, I couldn't wait to do something else that I thought was more exciting. However, since I stopped programming and became a systems engineer, systems analyst, and then a manager, I have repeatedly returned to the core knowledge of systems development that I learned when I was a programmer. Programming has truly been my foundation, and without this experience, it would have been much more difficult for me to move ahead in my career."

Kay James (President's Award) offers thoughts especially for minority women: "My advice to women and minorities is to forget what you think society is saying about your ability. If you stop thinking about the reasons why other people may not respect you, you will find that most people will stop categorizing you by your minority status and start judging you on your ability to get the job done."

Marjorie Davis (Managerial Leadership in Industry) counsels successful women to trust their own judgment: "Go with your gut feeling," she believes. "It is usually right. The times that I have gone against my gut instinct, I have paid for it in one way or another."

So what is it, then, that makes people successful? It is clear that many factors come into play: intelligence, perseverance, a clear goal, the courage to stand above the rest, willingness to stand up for what you believe is right, personal and professional integrity, a lot of hard work and determination. These attributes are shared by the 2002 Women of Color Government and Defense Award winners, and they are attributes we all can strive to attain.