career exploration & workforce development ... FOR GIRLS!
When Hacia finished high school, she thought that she had her future all planned out. She wanted to become a commercial law barrister but after gaining some work experience in that industry she decided that although she loved the concepts, the extremely male-dominated work environment just wasn’t for her. She went on to bounce around a range of different careers from Financial Planner to Corporate Accountant. In October 2021 she resigned from her role as Chief Commercial Officer to follow her passion. She established Empowered Women in Trades with the goal to inspire and support women in skilled trade careers.
When asked if she has ever felt out-of-place in the workforce Hacia says that unfortunately she has a long list of situations that are hard to choose from. She has always been drawn to male-dominated fields (Law, Finance, Manufacturing, Construction) and said that she has regularly been discriminated against, overlooked and underpaid due to her gender. However, she says that has only given her the energy to work at changing how women are treated in the workplace and she is grateful for the experiences as they keep her pushing forward for a world that is built on equality.
Hacia says that if she could go back in time and give her 18-year-old self some advice it would be to believe in yourself! Everyone in the world has an opinion and advice to give but remember their advice comes from their own lived experiences, beliefs and assumptions about the world. Take every opinion with a grain of salt and make sure you are backing yourself! She also says that the best thing that you can do in life is build an inspiring and supportive network of people who will carry you through hard times and celebrate with you during good times. We can’t achieve remarkable things alone and she is thankful for her family, friends, colleagues and mentors who have helped her get to where she is today!
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