Last year we partnered with Athena, a San Diego-based women’s agency that accelerates women in STEM through leadership development. Through this partnership, we have offered membership to 15 dedicated and motivated women at Tandem, which provides Athena benefits, including access to more than 50 annual events aimed at training participants, strengthening corporate networks and instilling a sense of empowerment that promotes leadership development and job performance.
We met Maricruz De La Herrán to learn more about her experience since joining Tandem and becoming a member of Athena.
Tell us about yourself.
I have been working in the supply chain since 2002. I started working in the electronics industry, then moved to aerospace, also in the supply chain, but supported many project management and planning functions. After the economic crash of 2009, I decided to work in the fields of medicine and biotechnology, as these sectors are generally recession-proof. Since then, I’ve worked primarily for companies devoted to improving people’s lives, from hospital equipment and disposables to diabetes CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and now with Tandem.
I started at Tandem in April 2020 as a supply chain manager in San Diego, but worked remotely due to the pandemic. Working remotely was difficult at first, but the work needs to be done and we have adapted well.
How would you describe Athena and what inspired you to take part?
Athena is a leading organization for women’s representation that supports women in STEM through leadership development. When Tandem offered employees the opportunity to switch to Athena, I was immediately interested for many reasons:
-
I want to learn the experiences of women in leadership roles in biotechnology and other industries, hear their stories and advice firsthand, and see what made them successful in industries that are still heavily managed by men.
-
Athena also enables many women who are starting out in leadership roles like me to be mentored by highly successful female leaders – their advice and experience are invaluable.
What did you learn from your time in Athena?
I’ve learned that many of our female leaders have the same problems as all other women when it comes to family, children, and personal challenges, but the difference is in how they address those challenges. You don’t let everyday life stop you from moving on and working hard.
I’ve learned that the importance of honest communication and integrity is fundamental to success.
I have learned that many of our female leaders have problems with networking but still press themselves to continue as it is important to meet people with different ideas who are more knowledgeable in areas from which we can learn.
I learned that we must be humble to ask for help, to take note of the experiences of people we admire, to learn as much as possible from others, and to help others succeed, especially from women to women.
Which events did you attend and which were your favorites?
So far I have attended 3 events:
-
Networking amid a global pandemic
-
October MentorFest
-
Recognize and interrupt microaggressions
It’s hard to say which is my favorite as each of these events was unique and provided incredible information and advice from the mentors and moderators.
From the few events I have been able to attend, I have learned unique and extremely valuable lessons. It gives me a sense of security in knowing that these successful brave women are just like me and they inspire me to keep improving, educating myself and always learning from my mistakes while I keep moving.
What advice would you give to someone who might be on the fence about joining Athena?
I would say that I regret not having come to Athena before. I wish I could go back 10-20 years and join Athena right after college.
The content and care shared by Athena during the events cannot be learned from schools or books – it is the human aspect connected with it, from the school of life and from the reality of years of cultural progress and change.
What are you hoping for your membership this year?
I plan to attend as many events as possible! The only way I can continue to learn and be inspired by all of these mentors is by attending the events. It’s important to be curious, open-minded, and humble enough to admit that we all need help and that we can all learn from one another.
Is there anything you’d like to leave us with?
The last thing I want to mention is that during these troubled times where we can be so divided, Athena is doing a phenomenal job of filling the void. Athena encourages women of all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities and educational levels to work together and support one another in order to behave positively towards one another. Many of us feel alone and work almost defensively to survive, not so much to be successful as just to be relevant or to share our ideas.
Athena is a safe place where we don’t compete against each other.
Tandem continues its commitment to Athena throughout the year, including our sponsorship of the Lifting While Climbing Summit and the Pinnacle Awards in June 2021. We look forward to receiving additional insights from our employees who are members of Athena, just like Maricruz . So stay tuned for more!
Disclaimer of liability
Tandem Diabetes Care Inc. posted this content on April 05, 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by the public, unedited and unchanged, on April 05, 2021 15:27:06 UTC.
