In Rapid City, South Dakota, women from diverse backgrounds help shape the landscape of the local workforce with their passion, talent, and determination. In honor of National Women’s Day, three women from Elevate Rapid City answered questions about their experiences working to break down barriers and support one another in the workforce:

Shiloh Franics - Senior Marketing & Communications Director

What message do you think is important to share with young women beginning their careers?

“To any young person starting out in their career, I would just encourage you that you do belong in the workplace you are in. A lot of times, especially when we’re young, we start to question if we have the knowledge and expertise to be there. Be willing to always learn, ask questions, and be curious, but also show up confident because you were hired for that role for a reason.”

Maddie Bazala - Events & Marketing Coordinator

What is your International Women’s Day message?

“I think my message for International Women’s Day is that we need to lift each other up. I found a quote from Serena Williams that says, ‘The success of every woman is to be the inspiration of another; we should raise each other up.’ So, I would say that we should challenge ourselves to cheer one another on. I know it can be really easy to compare yourselves to other women or to find faults, especially on social media. I would just encourage you to look for the beautiful things in people and know that you are strong, worthy, and capable of doing hard things.”

Taylor Davis - Senior Community Development & Partnerships Director

Are there any barriers you have faced in your career due to being a woman, and how did you overcome them?

“I feel like I’ve had a very unique career journey because I’m a military spouse and military spouses are 91% female. So, coming to Ellsworth Air Force Base with my spouse and really starting my career here in Rapid City, I feel like I had a different set of barriers than maybe other females might experience when entering the workforce for the first time. I was told verbatim, because we were here, that my career was pretty much over and just to let it go now. But I refused to believe that. I really feel like I pushed myself so much harder and so much further because of being questioned about my ability to achieve my career goals, just because of where we live or the fact that I’m a military spouse. International Women’s Day is so important to me because it reminds me that there are so many women just like me. 91% of military spouses are female and are just trying to achieve the same goals I am regardless of where they are or their life circumstances, and I think that’s incredible. I don’t think I’d be where I am today if I wasn’t pushed in that way so early in my career.”

Watch Shiloh, Maddie, and Taylor discuss International Women's Day here: