Jennifer Young

I attribute my success to educating myself throughout my whole career - I knew more than anybody in that room, male or female, and that helped me not only with confidence, but be able to help my clients make the right decisions. I also believe in setting clear goals and visualizing the path to get there. I write down my goals every day and look at them, and I close out the noise. My dad used to always say, if you fall down, get back up again. I tell myself and my team to pick three words - mine are happy, healthy, successful - and if you have to say it to yourself a thousand times a day, whenever a negative thought pops in your head, say that instead. I've gotten to a point where it's just a natural thing. Even when people told me 'good luck, this is a good old boys club' back in 2006 when I started in sports construction, I didn't see that as a challenge so much as an opportunity to excel. And I did - I became number one in the country and stayed that way for about 6 years. It's about making tiny, tiny steps, visualizing your goal like a walking path, and just keeping your blinders on and staying streamlined with your focus until you reach that goal.

My dad used to always say, if you fall down, get back up again. That advice has stuck with me throughout my career. It's going to happen you're going to face setbacks but in order to get better, you just have to make these tiny, tiny, tiny little steps and keep moving forward.

I would say, center yourself. Create a goal, write it down if you have to - I do, I write it down every day - and look at that, and close out the noise. Just imagine a path from yourself walking to that end goal, and all the stuff you're gonna see on the side - you're gonna see a car wreck, you might see people fighting, you might see people yelling at you - but just keep walking until you reach that goal, because you will. Even if you make the tiniest steps, you'll get there. For me, writing everything down works - I love whiteboards, I have so many whiteboards in my house - and I look at it every day. Believe it or not, it actually works. It gets in your psyche. I also tell my whole team, pick your three words - mine are happy, healthy, successful - and if you have to say it to yourself a thousand times a day, whenever something negative pops in your head, say that instead. I've gotten to a point where it's just a natural thing, and I've seen my team members, even the really, really negative ones, try this and it works. It really, really does. So just close out the noise, find your goal, and it's almost like a walking path to it. You'll get there.

The biggest challenge I face is being told over and over again, 'good luck, this is a good old boys club, and you know how it works.' They told me that in 2006 when I started the sports construction industry, and then I became number one in the country and stayed that way for like 6 years, so I don't believe that to be a challenge so much as an opportunity to excel. The other challenge is that I've been approached by so many vendors that want to be part of WISH and have said they'll sponsor or give money, but I have to say no because this isn't about pay-to-play. It's very difficult to pick and choose which vendors you can align yourself with without making it look like something nefarious. So it's about keeping it streamlined, keeping our blinders on, and staying focused on our mission - to educate female facilities and district officials across the state of California. The opportunity right now is incredible - with the unprecedented amount of bonds that passed in November 2024, there are billions of dollars at stake, and these female leaders need to have a voice in those decisions. We have over 2,000 school districts in California and over 60% are led by females, yet you would never know it. That's the opportunity - to give them the confidence and education they need to be part of the conversation.