The beginning
Rita Love didn’t realize her passion for math, chemistry, and calculus was special until she went to university and realized she was one of the few women in her engineering class at Stanford. She grew up with STEM parents—both were math majors and computer science engineers—so it wasn’t out of the ordinary that she would think a woman could excel in these worlds.
“But my mom was a very quiet lady,” explains Rita. “It wasn’t until the #metoo movement that she told me she had been sexually harassed at work. She was always very logical – no drama, the quintessential opposite to my dad, who was very emotional. I think she always expected that her children would go to the engineering side of things. So, I had no idea that there wasn’t a well-balanced gender trajectory in STEM until college and later.”
Why Rita’s a Gotara Advisor & champion
In her STEM career as a project and product manager and a strategic advisor, Rita has yet to have a female boss. If there had been a Gotara career growth STEM platform years ago, Rita says she would have been on it to bounce off ideas with other women who understood her challenges and could have helped her explore more options and have a bigger dream for herself. The fact that the “nano-learning” exchange is anonymous is ideal.
“I love this because you can ask some very bold questions, and you can also give some very bold answers,” explains Rita, who is one of the Gotara advisors on the platform. “Without that, you might worry that people will think you’re a little too harsh, or if you’re a member, you might worry that someone could find out about the conversation. This way, you can be honest and very direct without fear of any fallout.”
Why Gotara’s in-depth nano-learning Star Programs make a difference?
“This platform brings to light what all STEM women are living,” says Rita. “While lots of women go into STEM fields, too many of them are dropping out, or stagnating in their roles, and we have to find out why and help each other. When a woman quits, it’s a personal loss—but it’s also a huge loss to companies and society. That’s why I love the nano-learning Gotara Star Programs that employers can offer their STEM talent. These programs are specific to each woman, and the advice is immediately actionable. I would have loved to have this kind of intensive coaching combined with access to the Gotara advisors and its career growth platform. This kind of training will ensure that women make it into leadership roles. I want more women to be at the decision table because that’s when change will happen.”
