Finding your drive.
From Struggle to Leadership: How One Woman Found Her Voice in a Male-Dominated Industry
When I turned 20 years old, I made the decision to move from Arizona to Wisconsin. I needed a change, a new path. So, I packed up my one bag and moved to Wisconsin, where I started working in the food and beverage department of a casino.
I knew nothing about casinos. I had never been to one and did not know anyone who went to them. I started as a cashier and worked my way up to a supervisor. During this time, I was doing nothing special with my life—just working and going out to the bars.
I finally took the step to move departments and move to Slots. Fast-forward several years, and I am sitting in the kitchen of my one-bedroom apartment, crying, with my first child sleeping in the bedroom as I figure out what I am going to pawn next to afford diapers for my son.
After several pawning trips and my belongings becoming less and less, I knew I needed to make changes. I knew I wanted a different life, not just for me but for my son. I started learning everything I could about Slots as a floor person, even becoming a dual supervisor. I started learning from the technicians I saw every day, found another realm that I was drawn to, and started learning how to work on slot machines.
Then, to my amazement, a slot technician position became available. I got super excited and applied for the position. To my disappointment, I did not get it. An older gentleman got the position. That gentleman was a force of nature who later became family to me. His name was Kurt, and he started showing me more technical aspects of the job while continuing to encourage me to keep learning for the next opportunity.
With that encouragement, I got the Slot Technician II position. Since then, I have been a Slot Technician II, Slot Technician III, Slot Office Manager/Technician, and now the position I am in today, Slot Project Manager.
Through learning all those different positions, I found myself in situations where, as a woman in a male-dominated field, I experienced unwanted attention and was not being heard because I am a woman. It got super frustrating at times, but then I would remind myself of what Kurt would say:
"Do not give them the power over you."
Because of people like Kurt and my drive to succeed not only professionally but personally, my voice is heard. I have several women and men on my team whom I support the way Kurt taught me to. They have a voice, and I make sure to let them know, not only with my words but, more importantly, with my actions, that it is okay to have a voice. It is okay to believe in oneself.
I have helped women feel the encouragement and strength within themselves so that they no longer say the words, "I need a man's help with this," because they know they've got it. They have the mind for it and the strength. They also feel the strength of being part of a team that supports and hears each other. No matter if you are male or female, we are a team.
Available next action: Create a downloadable DOCX file here in this chat containing the editable prose above
