March is Women’s History Month—a month dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and contributions women have made in our history and culture. At NuVasive, we are proud to work among, and celebrate women with diverse backgrounds and talents. We are prioritizing our efforts, through programs like Women in Spine, to help provide resources to empower and guide our Shareowners to reach their fullest potential.
Read our latest blog featuring our Shareowners and their reflections on Women’s History Month:
Jennifer Hester, Leader, Strategic Development
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
I will be honest that I am not one to typically think about Women’s History Month. But as I reflect on it, I am incredibly thankful for the women who challenged the status quo throughout history and paved the way for me and others to have the rights and live the life I can lead today. I am also thankful for the men that believed in women’s rights and supported those courageous women. I think about my daughter and I hope that my husband and I are modeling that anything is possible if you stay positive, work hard and find a supportive community and life partner.
How have you prioritized your career development while balancing day to day responsibilities?
In many ways, the evolution of my life outside of work has helped me develop and guide my career. Becoming a wife and a mother has had a positive impact on my professional growth. As a human, my ability to empathize, negotiate, persevere, exhibit patience has grown tremendously. I have never been so busy (and tired) in my life, but I am also the most grateful and happiest I have been in my adult life.
What do you look most forward to accomplishing this year?
COVID-19 has brought all kinds of unexpected changes to my personal and work life in the past few weeks. If am able to achieve the goals I set out to accomplish in January at home as well as in the office (virtually), I will be incredibly happy. It’s important to now keep things simple, be a good global citizen and neighbor, stay positive and thankful, and still figure out how to succeed as a wife, a daughter, a mom and a leader at NuVasive.
Elsa LaFarga, Leader, Human Resources
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
Woman’s History Month is a time to celebrate all women around the world—past and present! This is an opportunity to look back on all of the smart and brave woman that have crossed the line, taken risks, and spoken out about the things they feel passionate for. It is about the women today who have taken the baton and are following in their footsteps to pave ways for woman of the future. I love the fact that we are highlighting women and dedicating a month to raise awareness about challenges and achievements. Our work is not yet done, in fact, we have only just begun.
Who is one woman that inspires you and why?
There have been many women that have and continue to inspire me every day. The one woman that has been a constant inspiration in my life is my late grandmother. My grandmother had wonderful stories that she shared with me several times as a child. I never got tired of hearing about her struggles, her adventures, and her sacrifices. The choices she made and the risks she took have benefited so many people in our family. She was uncompromising when it came to perseverance. I can honestly say that I am who I am today because of her.
What has been the greatest career development decision or experience you have had?
The greatest career and development decision I ever made was to take on a global role. I took a global role while my children were still toddlers. I traveled a lot and hated being away from them for any period of time. However, I set boundaries for myself such as not leaving for more than eight days at a time and more than one trip a month. I also had my parents as my support system and they kept up my schedules and my routines as best they could. Not only did I grow professionally, but I also developed a complete appreciation for other cultures, lifestyles, and a love for traveling.
Brandi Talley, Manager, Clinical Services
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
Women’s History Month is a reminder to take a look at where we as women are in our lives and thank all the women who came before us for their achievements that have impacted generations after them. Although many women in my life inspire me, my 92-year-old grandma inspires our whole family. She has been the model for what hard work, raising a family (9 children, 12 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild), and perseverance look like. As an American Indian woman in a rural community, she fought to have a public job after integration, as well as run a farm and raise her children.
What has been the greatest career development decision or experience you have had?
My greatest career development decision came when I decided to leave the OR as a Radiologic Technologist and join a start-up company. That decision lead me to NuVasive and I have been grateful for the experience and growth!
What do you look most forward to accomplishing this year?
In 2020, I look forward to being involved with the company’s continued development of the Pulse platform!
Stephanie Cho, Sr. Manager, Market Development
What does Women’s History month mean to you?
It is very encouraging to me that women’s achievements throughout history are celebrated, and that NuVasive is celebrating Women’s History Month. I feel fortunate that I am born in an era where women are recognized for their achievements and this makes me feel passionate about what I do.
Who is one woman that inspires you and why?
I am very fortunate to have a woman who inspires me who is also my closest relative, mentor, and a friend: my mom. She has always told me that the way to succeed in my life and career is to set appropriate priorities and goals depending on what stage you are at with your life. She was a stay-at-home mother until my brother and I grew old enough to go to school, and went to grad school when she was in her 30s. It was still not very socially accepted for women, especially of minority race, to work as a white collar back then, but she marched through with her career and even received a Ph.D. in her 40s while working full-time and also taking care of the family. Now she is a world-renowned professional in her field.
What do you look most forward to accomplishing this year?
The world is faced with a situation that mankind has not seen for a long time with COVID-19. With this turbulence, I feel that staying focused is the most important in supporting my customers, peers, and teammates, so I look forward to further improving my adaptability and resilience.
Julie Wescott, Sr. Manager, Information Technology
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
Women’s History Month means celebrating the women in my life that inspire me to make a difference for positive change. It is important to celebrate the unique journeys of so many women that have taken leaps of faith to make both small and big changes in their communities.
Who is one woman that inspires you and why?
The strong, female heroes close to my heart include my grandma, one of the first women to graduate the University of Buffalo School of Pharmacy, and my mom, a registered nurse. Both of them balanced amazing careers and had the strength to approach it in a creative way so they could balance it with their families. Their encouragement to pursue my love for science and technology has fueled my own career, and given me the courage to approach it in a way that is uniquely my own, too.
How have you prioritized your career development while balancing day to day responsibilities?
My career focus is on leading international programs to implement technical solutions around the world, and I have followed an untraditional path of moving from the research laboratory to information technology, to working locally and abroad, in pursuit of my goals. Personally, I’m dedicated to bringing awareness and advocacy for cancer research inspired by my own experiences as a cancer survivor, and it has meant at times that I’ve pivoted in my career in order to blend it with the desire make a positive impact in my community.
Click here to read some of our past Shareowner features.