Articles Tagged with: women leaders

For Gen Z, By Gen Z: How Life2Launch Institute Empowers Young People to Lead Our Tomorrow

In today’s rapidly evolving world, young individuals often find themselves at a crossroads, seeking direction amid a plethora of choices.

Enter Life2Launch Institute, a beacon for Gen Z and dedicated to providing holistic life and career-launching tools.

Life2Launch participated in the Launch Mid-Valley Startup Bootcamp Weekend last January 31 to February 2, 2025, at Linfield University’s W.M. Keck Science Complex.

Competing against 20 other innovative startups, the team secured second place among the top ten teams, underscoring their commitment to empowering youth.

A vision rooted in community

Life2Launch isn’t just another organization. It’s a collaboration led by Gen Z for Gen Z.

Recognizing the unique challenges their peers face, the institute works with youth, parents, educators, workforce leaders, and community stakeholders. Together, they design, test, and innovate solutions that build confidence, provide direction, and create accessible resources for the next generation.

Life2Launch was formed in response to Oregon’s new diploma requirements for 2027, which emphasize higher education, career path skills, and personal finance education. Its main focus is expediting the development of a holistic life and career navigation platform.

This tool aims to resonate with the realities and aspirations of today’s youth, bridging the gap between education and the workforce. By empowering young individuals to actively shape their educational and career pathways, Life2Launch is setting a new standard for learner-centered, real-world applicable education.

Led by Denise Ker Waldron, Ben Franson, and Henry Ker, Life2Launch is dedicated to guiding young individuals toward successful futures, fostering a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and empowerment.

Building bridges within the community

Life2Launch’s impact extends beyond individual development. By collaborating with various community stakeholders, it guarantees that the tools and resources they create are comprehensive and inclusive.

This collective approach not only benefits the young people they serve but also strengthens community ties, fostering a supportive environment where the next generation can thrive.

Life2Launch Institute stands at the forefront of youth empowerment, blending innovation with community collaboration. Its determination to guide Gen Z through the complexities of modern life ensures a brighter, more directed future for all.

Are you a small business owner in Marion, Polk, or Yamhill? Grow your business with Launch Mid-Valley. We’ve got tools and resources to help you grow and scale up your business. Just fill out this form to get started >>> https://tinyurl.com/mid-valley-innovation.

Launch Mid-Valley, the Mid-Willamette Valley Innovation Hub, with funding from Business Oregon, fosters an innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem where local businesses can connect with investors, mentors, and industry leaders in the counties of Marion, Polk, and Yamhill.

Building Community One T-Shirt at a Time: Roanna Gingrich and CreativiTEE’s Story

In today’s fast-paced, technology-dependent world, taking the time to put down our phones, slow down, and bond with loved ones through creative activities sounds like a luxury.

But that’s exactly the kind of luxury that CreativiTEE in Downtown Salem, OR, offers.

Founded by Roanna Gingrich, CreativiTEE is a store where you can design your own T-shirts using professional materials. But it’s more than just a T-shirt store.

It’s where stories are shared, bonds are forged, and imagination takes center stage.

Step inside, and you’ll quickly see that CreativiTEE is a safe and inspiring space for building community.

Telling Stories through T-Shirts

The process of designing your own T-shirts at CreativiTEE is simple, fun, and unique.

First, you pick out your canvas – a T-shirt in your favorite color or style.

Then comes the exciting part: designing. With a wide array of materials at your fingertips, you can let your imagination run wild. Whether a bold statement, a delicate pattern, or a fun doodle, your design is your T-shirt’s centerpiece.

Once your design is ready, the friendly CreativiTEE staff brings it to life using professional screen printing.

Finally, you’ll don your custom creation, strike a pose, and capture the moment as a memory in ink and fabric.

Where Creativity Meets Community

CreativiTEE founder Roanna Gingrich has envisioned her store as a space that inspires connection.

Roanna’s dedication to community shines through in every aspect of her work. She’s a proud Latina with roots that span from Portland to Peru. Sharing her heritage is essential to her mission, reminding us of the importance of getting to know each other beyond surface impressions.

Above all, Roanna has made CreativiTEE a safe space for the community. Everyone is welcome here, no matter who they are, whether they’ve come to buy or design a shirt, attend an event, or simply stop by for a chat.

She especially loves seeing families gathering at her store to create and bond together in ways that can’t be replicated with mobile devices or computer screens. In a world where technology often pulls us apart, CreativiTEE strives to bring us back together.

CreativiTEE is also becoming a hub for Downtown Salem’s artistic and entrepreneurial spirit. Roanna hosts an array of events that spark inspiration and foster community building. From yoga sessions followed by tank top designing to art classes and informal forums, there’s always happening at the store.

One standout event that Roanna hosts is Launch Mid Valley’s Women/BIPOC Coffee Club for Startups and Entrepreneurs, where diverse entrepreneurial voices come together to share ideas, build networks, and uplift one another.

Empowering Women One Design at a Time

Aside from building community, Roanna has also made it her mission to empower women through her space and designs.

Through events like CreativiTEE’s First Friday Art Walk, she provides a platform for women artists to showcase their work.

Through events like the aforementioned Women/BIPOC Coffee Club for Startups and Entrepreneurs, she gives women and BIPOC women business owners a place to connect with peers and share ideas and resources.

One such event inspired her to create a special line of T-shirts with uplifting messages, celebrating the strength and wisdom of women. These designs include feminine nouns in Spanish, such as “la femenina” or the feminine, “la diosa” or the goddess, and “la sabia” or the wise woman. Roanna comes up with a new design each month to add to her inspiring collection.

The Value of Presence

Despite the technological advances allowing us to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world in real time, technology has made interpersonal connections a bit of a challenge.

But Roanna hopes CreativiTEE can be a place where people slow down and truly connect. Whether it’s families creating T-shirts together, friends attending a yoga session, or entrepreneurs brainstorming over coffee, the store is a reminder of the value of presence.

For Roanna, it’s all about hanging out and creating together. And she’s right – there’s magic in the simple act of making something with your own hands with people who matter to you.

Ready to experience the inspiring community of CreativiTEE for yourself? Stop by the studio in Downtown Salem.

And if you’re a small business owner in Salem, check out the next schedule for the Women/BIPOC Coffee Club for Startups and Entrepreneurs. Join us for coffee and conversation, and walk away with the spark for your next big idea.

Reimagining Exit Planning: Hannah Sandmeyer Guides Entrepreneurs Toward the Next Stage of Their Journey

At some point in their professional journey, entrepreneurs will realize one thing – that it’s time to exit their business. The reason can be anything – retirement, a desire to return to the corporate world, or simply to start a new and more exciting chapter to their story.

The question is, how can they approach exiting their business as painlessly as possible?

That’s a question that Hannah Sandmeyer provides answers to through her work as the founder and CEO of Up & Over Advisors. She and her team help business owners secure their legacy as they enter the next stage of their entrepreneurial journey.

The Vision: People, Planet, and Profits

Hannah built Up & Over Advisors around what she calls the triple-bottom-line approach: people, planet, and profits. Her commitment is clear: people come first, and while profit is surely a desired outcome, social responsibility and sustainability are never sacrificed in its pursuit.

Among Hannah’s goals is to connect businesses with acquisition opportunities that share their values and vision for positive impact. For entrepreneurs planning their exit strategies, this means exploring the possibility of merging their company with another whose values and mission match theirs.

By focusing on mission-driven sourcing for mergers and acquisitions, Hannah and her team provide customized growth and exit strategies that align with their clients’ ethical commitments.

A Journey Rooted in Impact

Hannah’s career is built on a foundation of service and global understanding. Her professional journey began as an HIV/AIDS volunteer with the US Peace Corps in Mokubilo, Botswana. This transformative experience instilled a deep empathy and a desire in her to create meaningful change.

Her outlook was further enriched by time spent in Copenhagen in Denmark and Siena in Italy, where she gained valuable insights into diverse cultures and business practices. With nearly 20 years of expertise in M&A sourcing, enterprise sales, and leadership, Hannah has closed over $400 million in revenue while championing integrity and empathy in every deal.

A Business for Good

Hannah’s experiences have led her to believe that businesses can be a significant force for good. It’s a principle that she and her team practice at Up & Over Advisors, setting the company apart with its unwavering commitment to mission-driven partnerships.

Aside from offering services designed to foster meaningful and sustainable growth, Up & Over Advisors dedicates 5% of proceeds from successful transactions to funding early-stage impact entrepreneurs. Through this endeavor, Hannah contributes to regenerating the business ecosystem and empowering a new generation of changemakers.

As a woman- and LGBTQ-owned business, the company is deeply committed to advancing racial justice, equity, and inclusivity. It honors community and collaboration and is on track to becoming a certified B Corporation.

Hear Hannah Tell Her Story at the LMV Startup Bootcamp

From January 31 to February 2, 2025, Hannah Sandmeyer will bring her expertise to the Launch Mid Valley Startup Bootcamp, where she will share insights on how businesses can grow with integrity and impact and become a force for good.

Save these dates and stay tuned for details on this opportunity to learn what it really means for businesses to have a lasting positive impact on their communities.

Community Catalyst: How Kate Schwarzler Fires Up Innovation in Independence

All across the US, we tend to hear stories of small rural towns shrinking and fading away. There are few opportunities to grow, so residents often move to bigger cities for better jobs and better ways to live.

That’s not the story of Independence in Polk County, Oregon. Far from being a quiet little spot amid the state’s wine country, Independence is buzzing – with thriving small businesses and a lot of exciting things for residents to get into.

Independence is a city where innovation is alive, thanks to its tight-knit community and dynamic, forward-thinking leaders.

Kate Schwarzler is one of these leaders who keep Independence moving forward. The owner of the co-working space Indy Commons, Kate’s had a direct hand in the vitality the city is enjoying.

On its homepage, Indy Commons describes itself as “not just a workspace; it’s a community, a catalyst for change, and a celebration of rural innovation.” Kate started this business as a way for Independence residents to create opportunities for themselves. That way, they don’t have to leave just so they can find better jobs or opportunities elsewhere.

Through Indy Commons, Kate has created a space for people to work remotely, build businesses, collaborate with like-minded partners, and be one with community. Aside from desks and work areas, the facility boasts a kitchen, an events space, a marketplace showcasing local products, and even a podcast studio.

Kate’s community contributions extend beyond Indy Commons. She’s also the executive director of Indy Idea Hub, a non-profit organization that provides support to entrepreneurs, individuals, and communities in Polk County.

Indy Idea Hub’s projects include technical assistance to tribal and Latinx small businesses, digital skills training for remote workers, and training for individuals looking to start a food business. The goal is to empower rural communities through entrepreneurship and innovation.

Kate is also on the Advisory Board for Launch Mid Valley (LMV), the Regional Innovation Hub for Polk, Marion, and Yamhill counties. Part of her work for LMV is leading the Indy Coffee Club for Startups and Entrepreneurs at Indy Commons. Through the Coffee Club, Kate extends her passion for building community and facilitating connections that can lead to resource sharing and fruitful collaborations. If you’re in Independence, you can join by RSVP’ing here.

Kate Schwarzler believes that people can create opportunities where they are. The passion for empowering rural communities through innovation that she shares with other community leaders makes the future exciting for Independence.

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Empowering Rural Communities: The Inspiring Journey of MEDP’s Patty Herzog in Economic Development

Sacred Fire Creative is proud to support and highlight women founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are making a profound impact on their respective communities.

In this edition, we focus the spotlight on Patty Herzog, Executive Director of the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership.

Patty’s story is one of passion and dedication to rural economic development. With over 20 years of hands-on experience across both public and private sectors, she spent her career building up communities and creating opportunities in often overlooked areas. From her early days as a small business owner to her current role leading MEDP, Patty strives to make an impact with her work.

Today, Patty guides MEDP as the organization focuses on building up and supporting McMinnville’s manufacturing sector. More than 100 manufacturing companies call McMinnville home and contribute significantly to the local economy. By creating more than 2,200 individual jobs and generating $338 million in revenue, McMinnville manufacturing adds substantially to Oregon’s GDP.

MEDP’s efforts to boost local manufacturing are highly visible in the ongoing “Coolest Thing Made in Yamhill County,” a competition designed to showcase the industry’s vibrancy. Of the 32 entries, homegrown companies Applied Physics Technologies and Blue Raeven Pies rise up as finalists.

MEDP also recently hosted its annual awards, where they honored bespoke bar manufacturer EMPWR Nutrition for expanding their facility and creating 200 new jobs, Phenix Solutions for developing their Ultra 2XL aircraft, and HelloCare for building a 100-strong team providing much-needed caregiving services in the region.

To further boost and support McMinnville’s labor force, MEDP is hard at work completing its Sustainable Workforce Training and Resources project. A collaboration with the local government, the project provides skills training and resources, as well as hosts hiring, internship, and training programs.

MEDP is also on the Advisory Board of Launch Mid Valley (LMV), the regional innovation hub for the counties of Polk, Yamhill, and Marion. Through LMV, Patty and MEDP lend their expertise and experience in supporting the region’s startups and entrepreneurs.

Patty extends her dedication to serving the community outside of her professional roles. She is a member of the Chemeketa College Foundation Board and the McMinnville Public Arts Commission. She also recently joined the Willamette Workforce Partnership.

Patty Herzog’s and MEDP’s journey is an inspiring reminder of the power of targeted economic development in building stronger, more connected communities. Her work paves the way for growth, and we’re excited to see how her vision will continue to influence the shaping of McMinnville’s future through MEDP.

SFC Congratulates Pallavi Pande of Dtocs LLC for Placing in SEED SPOT’s Retail Brand Accelerator

Green, sustainable, environment-friendly – these are just some buzzwords that brands often use to market their products to eco-conscious consumers.

Unfortunately, the reality is that not all brands that spout these words actually walk their talk.

Not Pallavi Pande, though – she’s an entrepreneur who really walks her talk. As the founder of Dtocs LLC, she produces disposable tableware that is 100% safe for the environment. The production process itself is sustainable and supports communities in the US and India, Pallavi’s home country.

So, it’s not surprising that Pallavi has secured a place in SEED SPOT’s Retail Brand Accelerator. It’s training that will take her brand far and strengthen Dtocs LLC’s community impact even more.

Congratulations, Pallavi!

SEED SPOT empowers founders to succeed in the mass retail market.

The SEED SPOT Retail Brand Accelerator is a dynamic program designed to nurture established founders looking to scale their business in mass retail. The program focuses on founders in the consumer-packaged goods market and provides them with an intensive 10-week training.

This training helps participants refine their sales approach, expand their supply chain and inventory capacities, comply with regulations, and build a standout brand. Virtual workshops and personalized one-to-one mentorship make up the bulk of this training.

The Retail Brand Accelerator is funded by the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity, Walmart’s philanthropic endeavor to uplift BIPOC communities in education, finance, health, and criminal justice.

Dtocs LLC offers more than just sustainable tableware.

With Pallavi joining the SEED SPOT Retail Brand Accelerator, it’s clear that her Dtocs LLC brand is headed for growth. And if there’s a company that should grow as big as it can and gain as much attention as possible, it’s Dtocs LLC.

Why? It’s because the company greatly impacts the community it serves.

Dtocs LLC manufactures single-use tableware. But they’re nothing like the disposable tableware we see in supermarkets, typically made with plastics and other toxic materials.

Here’s why they’re different:

They’re made using the fallen leaves and shed sheaths of Areca palms. These are usually considered waste materials. Instead, the local farmers in India with whom Dtocs works collect them to be processed into tableware. No part of the living Areca palm is harmed or cut during the process.
They’re processed using an eco-friendly system. From drying to shaping to packaging, the process that these Areca shedding goes through to become single-use tableware poses no harm to the environment. Renewable energy sources power the machines used. The raw materials are cleaned with fresh water. The products are packed with sustainable cardboard.
They’re durable and stylish. Many factors prevent the typical consumer from using eco-friendly disposable tableware. Many consider them not as durable as plastics. People who are conscious of plating and dining table aesthetics may not like how these disposables look. Because they’re made with Areca palms, Dtocs tableware doesn’t crumble easily, even when holding liquids. They also come in stylish shapes and forms.
They’re biodegradable. After you’ve used these palm-leaf dinnerware, you can safely throw them in the bin or even add them to your compost. They will degrade in a few days. So they won’t contribute to the growing garbage problem that the world is facing today.

Their products are not the only things that set Dtocs LLC apart. The company employs women artisans in India to manufacture their products, empowering them to provide for their families and live better lives.

Additionally, Dtocs LLC uses a portion of its earnings to give back to its communities. They’ve partnered with non-profits in India to provide livelihood for women and fund the education of underprivileged children. They also contribute towards equal education opportunities for underrepresented students in Portland.

Pallavi Pande is an inspiration to women entrepreneurs.

Without a doubt, Pallavi embodies the definition of a successful business owner. Her company is thriving and scaling for further growth. Her brand is solid and gaining recognition. And she fulfills her role as a leader by giving back to her communities.

Pallavi’s achievements are more remarkable because she did all of these as a woman from a minority group. While much has been accomplished to secure women’s place in business in the last few decades, it goes without saying that women entrepreneurs still face challenges that men don’t. The stakes get even higher when she is also a woman of color.

Pallavi overcame these challenges. A self-described mompreneur, she also found a way to balance building a successful company and nurturing a family. That’s not an easy feat.

We salute and congratulate Pallavi Pande of Dtocs LLC for her current and future successes. She’s someone we can all admire and emulate, no matter what stage we are in our respective entrepreneurial journeys.

Sacred Fire Creative helps women business owners maximize their entrepreneurial potential through innovative digital marketing strategies and authentic relationship-building with their audiences. Contact us today, and let’s see how we can collaborate.

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Carina Dayondon: First Filipina Mountaineer to Reach the Seven Summits

“What’s more important for me is we showed the Filipinas, the young ones, there’s nothing impossible if you’re determined, focused, and if you believe in your dreams. It’s okay to get a record, but does it have a point? Did you inspire anyone? Did you touch anyone’s heart, inspire them to do something like that? That’s what’s important to us. The message is there, to inspire the kids and the Filipinos,” – Carina Dayondon

Carina Dayondon is a Filipina mountaineer, Philippine Coast Guard officer, and adventurer. She is also the first Filipina to climb and reach the Seven Summits, the seven tallest mountains of each continent. She accomplished this feat in December 2018, when she successfully ascended Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

Her journey towards this amazing accomplishment began in 2006 when she reached the top of Mount Denali in Alaska. The following year, she climbed Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, with fellow female mountaineers Noelle Wenceslao and Janet Belarmino. She is officially the second Filipina to get to the summit, ten minutes after Wenceslao. They ascended Mt. Everest via the northern route in Tibet and descended through the southern route in Nepal.

Between 2006 and 2018, she climbed the other five highest mountains worldwide. It goes without saying that planning and preparing for these climbs was not easy. Dayondon spent most of her time training for these climbs and overcoming the challenges.

For example, when preparing for her final peak in 2017, she experienced problems with her eye. A doctor told her that she would go blind, but Dayondon continued to pursue her dreams. She trained and tested her body, including her eye, and decided that she could continue her climb. Fortunately, she achieved her goal without losing her eyesight and became the first Filipina to summit the world’s tallest peaks.

Dayondon was raised in the Philippine province of Bukidnon, the fourth of 15 children. She came from humble beginnings and enjoyed the outdoors even as a child. She was a member of the Girl Scouts in her elementary school years. When she entered college, she became a member of her university’s mountaineering society. It took her nine years to complete college because she participated in various adventure racing sports to earn money and help support her siblings. Dayondon also supported herself by working part-time jobs such as climbing instructor, salesperson, and babysitter.

Her challenging upbringing gave her the strength and resilience she needed to get to where she is now. Today, she works as a Coast Guard officer and is taking time off from climbing, although she keeps the door open to future endeavors. Of course, even while she is not actively climbing, she serves as an inspiration to Filipinos everywhere.

Despite coming from a family with limited financial means and needing to take loans out for her climbs, she remained steadfast in working towards her goals. Her story is one of grace, teamwork, and support. Dayondon shows us the importance of lifting each other up and supporting women in our society so they can go beyond what is expected and, in turn, inspire others as well.

5 Ways Women Leaders Are Transforming the Post-Pandemic Workplace

A lot has happened since the world went on lockdown in 2020. But we can say that one of the more positive developments that came out of that period is it created more room for women leaders to rise up in the workplace.

Of course, a lot of work still needs to be done for women to experience true gender equity and inclusivity in the workplace. Still, the women who are leaders now are trying to close the existing gaps.

Here are five ways women leaders are transforming the workplace to make it more inclusive in post-pandemic 2022.

1. More women-led companies rising

A recent Gusto survey reported that 5.4 million new businesses opened in 2021. The survey found that women started 49% of those new businesses, compared to just 28% in 2019. The women who responded to the survey shared different reasons for becoming entrepreneurs, including:

Getting laid off from work due to the pandemic
Finding new opportunities
Seeking more flexible hours so they can balance work with childcare
Seeking better financial security

Ownership allows women to build their companies according to their ideals. Many women entrepreneurs take the opportunity of owning a business to deliver the kind of employee experience they didn’t enjoy at their former workplaces.

2. Move toward compassionate leadership

Women emerged as excellent leaders during the Covid-19 crisis. We only need to look at the examples set by New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, and Germany’s Angela Merkel. A 2020 research also showed that companies led by women have fared better during the pandemic than those led by men.

This is because women are more likely to exercise compassionate, people-centered leadership than men. When handling complex tasks, women tend to weigh the social cost of their decisions before executing them. And they are not afraid to show vulnerability to those they lead. Compassionate leadership is a significant driver of employee engagement. The more engaged employees are, the more invested they become in a company’s growth through good and not-so-good times.

3. Empathetic and family-centered support at work

According to a 2021 joint research by McKinsey and LeanIn.org, women leaders are exerting more effort to promote employee well-being in the first place. This can be as simple as asking staff members how they are doing and as complicated as removing obstacles that keep them from doing their best work.

As mentioned earlier, women started their own businesses in 2021 because they needed to be more flexible in balancing work with childcare. Women business owners are aware that the brunt of childcare and running the household still falls on female shoulders. Thus, they are more likely to provide more flexible work arrangements in the office, including remote work and benefits like paid and extended parental leaves.

4. Active DEI work

The same McKinsey and LeanIn.org research found that women leaders are more active in championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Some 54% of women occupying senior-level positions spend time doing DEI work, compared to 46% of men on the same level. Additionally, 38% of women executives mentor at least one woman of color.

CultureAmp reports that more work needs to be done to advance DEI in the workplace. Issues such as mental health and healthcare for trans employees need to be addressed. Also, groups like returning parents, veterans, caregivers, and employees with disabilities remain underrepresented in DEI work. Still, more women work at the DEI frontlines, pushing for diversity and inclusion to become a reality.

5. Wage transparency

The gender wage gap isn’t going to close any time soon. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute reported that there’s been little progress in closing the wage gap in the last 30 years. Payscale also shared that women earned 82 cents for every $1 that men earned in 2021. The numbers didn’t change at the start of 2022.

These numbers may not seem encouraging. But wage transparency is a growing trend. It’s now seen as the number one solution for closing the wage gap, and women’s groups like Elpha are leading conversations on wage transparency.

There’s still a lot of work to be done for women to experience true gender equity and inclusivity in the workplace. But with more women leaders paving the way, we can look forward to more positive changes, not just in 2022 but in the future.

Sacred Fire Creative promotes positive change by incorporating DEI work in its digital marketing strategies. Do you want to be a brand that is a force for positive change? Work with us today.

Miriam Defensor-Santiago: The Iron Lady of Asia

“What is the meaning of life? This meaning is not for you to find, but for you to define. The meaning of life is found in the purposes that we pursue as we grow older.” — Miriam Defensor-Santiago

Miriam Defensor-Santiago is well-known in Philippine politics for her intelligence, courage, and memorable quotes. While she ran twice for president and never won, she remained a consistent and active figure in politics who made a lasting mark on the Filipino people’s hearts and minds. She passed away in September 2016 from lung cancer, months after a second bid for the Philippine presidency.

Defensor-Santiago was born in 1945, the eldest of seven children of a local judge and college dean in Iloilo City, Philippines. Her parents’ occupations were a precursor to what Santiago would become later on in her accomplished life. From an early age, her parents instilled the value of education. She later said that she and her siblings were raised to be “very bright people and it’s a great disappointment to all our ancestors if we did not live up to the family standards.”

After finishing high school and college as valedictorian in Iloilo City, she continued her stellar educational performance at the University of the Philippines College of Law in Manila. She continued showcasing her intelligence and wit by winning debates and oratorical contests. Defensor-Santiago was also the first female editor of the college newspaper.

Upon completing her law degree, she pursued her Masters of Laws and Doctor of Juridical Science from the University of Michigan, which is considered one of the best law schools in the United States. Defensor-Santiago also finished a Master of Arts in Religious Studies at the Maryhill School of Theology. Aside from this, she also studied at Oxford and Harvard law schools. Her impressive educational background served as further evidence of her brilliant mind. She made the most of her education when she entered the world of Philippine politics.

From lawyer to judge to Senator, Defensor-Santiago worked in all three branches of the Philippine government – judicial, executive, and legislative. She served as a judge at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, an immigration commissioner and cabinet member, and a three-term senator. She was a popular mainstay in Philippine politics, especially when she spoke openly about corruption, injustice, and inefficiencies she saw around her.

More than just a powerhouse politician, Defensor-Santiago was also a wife, mother, and grandmother. Her biggest personal heartbreak came when one of her two sons took his own life in 2003. While she never got over his death, she continued her work in politics and law. In 2012, she became the first Filipino and Asian judge of the International Criminal Court. She also continued her work as a senator and in 2016, ran again for the presidency.

Defensor-Santiago was indeed a female icon for the 21st century, earning the nickname the “Iron Lady of Asia,” even when most Asian women were happy to be behind the scenes. Her intellect, accomplishments, and outspokenness make her an extraordinary role model to the youth, who continue to look up to her today. Defensor-Santiago’s incredible ability to rise above personal tragedy and continue working as a public servant to serve others is also vital to this great woman’s legacy.

Sacred Fire Creative honors women who left a lasting legacy in this #WomenWhoMatter series. Do you want to be a woman who matters? Let’s collaborate to create a meaningful digital marketing strategy for your business.

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