Sara Thurmond

I think it's the work ethic that my parents instilled in me my entire life. It was a matter of working hard in everything you do, no matter what that was. To always show up and bring your A-game no matter what, and I really think my parents instilled that in myself and all my siblings. That foundation of hard work and always giving your best effort has been the driving force behind everything I've accomplished.

I think the best career advice I've ever received is to always trust your instincts and have the confidence to know that you belong where you are. I think that would definitely be the best advice I've ever gotten. It's easy to lose confidence with outside factors playing a role, but I think you have to constantly believe in yourself and know that you're here for a reason. You've earned that spot, and you can't forget that.

I think it would probably be the same advice as what I was given. There's a reason that you're here, and that you're in this position, and you can't forget that, even on the bad days, because you've earned the seat at the table. And you have to know that you've earned that every day in order to show up and be the best leader that you could possibly be. You've earned your place, and you need to remember that and have confidence in it.

I think one of the biggest challenges is making sure that people do hear your voice. As a female president of a school, sometimes there are people in the community that want to downplay that to a certain point, and I think always making sure that you have your voice and the reasoning to go with that, so that you're able to back what you say, I think is certainly a challenge, still in 2026. As for opportunities, I think opportunities are everywhere in the educational field now, and I'm very excited about that. The opportunities that exist for both female leaders to be able to do different things, not just principal or vice principal or president, but also director of operations - I think there's so many opportunities that are available now for women, and I'm very excited at how that's kind of opened up over the last few years. Regardless of your educational background and experience, which are super important, I think it's how we've learned to have a voice and to make sure that we're heard in those different scenarios.

I think always staying true to who you are. You know, you can get wrapped up in work, and I've certainly been known to do that, but I'm getting much more in tune to that. So I think staying true to yourself and your personal beliefs, and making sure you always have that work-life balance to stay grounded. Those are the values that keep me centered and help me be effective both professionally and personally.