Happy International Women’s Day 2022!
March 8th is International Women’s Day. Today we celebrate the women who inspire us in countless ways and make our world go ’round. Our team at CG Life is made up of many women whose hard work and dedication allow us to be who we are today. From colleagues, mothers, partners, sisters, and friends, get to know some of CG Life’s badass women below on this International Women’s Day!
Annabelle Flores
Project Manager
What is one piece of advice you’d give to women starting out their careers? Don’t be afraid of mistakes. Making errors is a good thing and enhances neuroplasticity. We learn from them and work better. Have fun and stay curious in whatever you do.
What inspires you the most working in the life science/science industry? I love being able to work with individuals from all walks of life. It’s so fun to see so many perspectives come to the table and understand a project or problem from different angles. I also enjoy seeing how advanced in technology we have become, especially in the past decade. It’s amazing to see what bright minds can create in such a short amount of time.
Who is one woman you look up to in life? Why? Although she is no longer around, I look up to my grandmother who migrated here from the Philippines in the 70s. She came to America to be an in-home nurse so she could send money to her family in Manila (the US dollar goes a mighty long way in the Philippines). If it weren’t for her, I would not be here with the opportunities that I have today. I would be honored to become even half the woman she was.
In the near future, what do you wish to see change or improve for women working in the science industry? I would love to see more women being represented in this space and setting great examples for young women who are interested in the sciences. I sure would have loved to see that growing up.
Cara O’Shea
Associate Account Director
What is one piece of advice you’d give to women starting out their careers?
Be your authentic self… quirks and all. Authenticity in the workplace is valued more than you might expect. You’ll build more meaningful relationships because of it, which will be key to your professional growth throughout your career. Make those genuine connections and learn as much as you can from your colleagues and mentors.
What inspires you the most working in the life science/science industry?
I am inspired by the passion and fearlessness of some of this generation’s biotech companies and researchers. They are so dedicated to enhancing the way we do research and treat diseases, even if it means taking huge risks or disrupting industries. It’s truly amazing.
Who is one woman you look up to in life? Why?
Michelle Obama. She accomplished so much in her personal and public life, despite many obstacles and intense criticism at every turn. I admire her strength to persevere and stay focused on her goals.
In the near future, what do you wish to see change or improve for women working in the science industry?
I hope to see significantly more investment in women-owned or women-led businesses. Right now, female-led startups get just over 2% of the funding, but female entrepreneurship is on the rise. Let’s support these women— they will do amazing things!
Courtney Reynolds
Art Supervisor
What is one piece of advice you’d give to women starting out their careers? To stay true to yourself no matter what, do not let others make your career decisions for you. Find a piece of calm-centered focus that you can always go to and revisit when things do get nutty or stressful. Realize that this career needs your calm focus and sane brain to go further!
What inspires you the most working in the life science/science industry? There really is a lot! But one of the key pieces is the ability to be involved in some pretty revolutionary ideas and research, and getting to actually work with the talented individuals that make that happen in their scientific/research field.
Who is one woman you look up to in life? Why? Brene Brown. While she is not a scientist, she certainly incorporates a lot of theories of research and cognitive development in the human existence/experience and understanding the emotional heart. She is very very inspiring to me.
In the near future, what do you wish to see change or improve for women working in the science industry? To erase some of the still loose hanging threads of stereotypes that science is more male (even in the way that science toys are manufactured, kids science marketing) I want my daughter to be able to have as much drive, opportunity and experience to thrive in this world if she so desires.
Gertrude Nonterah, Ph.D.
Content Specialist
What is one piece of advice you’d give to women starting out their careers? You deserve to be in the room. There are many career paths—especially in STEM—where people may make you feel like you don’t belong as a woman or where you struggle internally with impostor syndrome. It’s important to realize that if you find yourself in a room, you are most likely very qualified to be there, so don’t give in to the external and internal pressures to feel like you don’t deserve to be there.
What inspires you the most working in the life science/science industry? The fact that in different ways, working in science allows me to contribute to the health and wellbeing of our society. Whether it is in the lab doing basic research or it is in my current role as a scientific writer, I feel honored to be at the forefront of breakthrough technologies that make life better for people around the world.
Who is one woman you look up to in life? Why? I look up to a lot of women. But I’m especially inspired by women who usually have the odds stacked against them but who become powerful leaders in their fields anyway.
In the near future, what do you wish to see change or improve for women working in the science industry? I wish women working in science (and all industries to be honored) would be given ample time to recover from childbirth before going back to work and during that time would be paid full salaries. In the US, there is no law that governs maternity leave. Companies offer what they want to offer and most of the time, it is not conducive. I remember being told in my postdoc that if you had to take maternity leave, you would only receive 70% of your income for 6 weeks and after that, you would need to rely on disability. I found that intensely shocking for a country as rich as the US. We can do better.
Megan Bennett
Human Resources Manager
What is one piece of advice you’d give to young girls/women starting out their careers? Don’t stop learning. Absorb as much as you can through listening, processing and asking a lot of questions.
What inspires you the most working in the life science/science industry? The idea that the job we do makes a difference and impacts many.
Who is one woman you look up to in life? Why? My mom. She was presented with some difficult challenges when I was growing up, losing two husbands (my father and stepfather), she raised my siblings and me as a working, single mother. She demonstrated examples of being strong, persevering, and staying positive.
Sarah Mishek, Ph.D.
Account Supervisor, Public Relations
What is one piece of advice you’d give to young girls/women starting out their careers? Do not get intimidated! We all have imposter syndrome sometimes. It often looks and feels like everyone knows what they’re doing, but they don’t! You’re not alone. Science is mostly about trying different things and failing over and over until something works. There is no guidebook and no one really has the recipe for success. Just be curious and don’t let a ‘no’ stop you.
What inspires you the most working in the life science/science industry? The creativity! The fact that sometimes you have to be a little nuts to innovate. The limit truly is your imagination.
Who is one woman you look up to in life? Why? My mom! She is a brilliant woman and a fighter.
In the near future, what do you wish to see change or improve for women working in the science industry? I hope to see the lingering shadow of self-doubt that hangs over the head of every female scientist get outshined by their brilliance and self-confidence.