Title: Administrative director for the Regional Women’s Services & Pediatrics program
Was there a defining moment in your career when you realized that you wanted to pursue a position in leadership?
Yes, I saw the need to renew our commitment to take care of the underserved women and children that the RWSP/RMCHP clinics were serving. The administrative director was resigning, and the Family Planning Program Grant was due for renewal. I felt compelled to get involved since I want the program to continue to exist. I had breast cancer in 2017, and it opened my eyes to the need to “give back.” I was given another stake in life so why not give it my best effort?
What obstacles have you faced in your career as a woman in leadership or working your way up to a leadership position?
Work/life balance. Learning how to juggle priorities between the two.
How did you overcome them?
Determination, industry, understanding from my loved ones and a load of caffeine.
How has being a woman shaped your leadership style?
Being a woman, I am a natural multitasker and caretaker. I know how to hand hold and have a firm hand whenever it is needed.
Who are your mentors and how did they impact the course of your career and you personally?
A long line of strong women before me. I took care of my grandmother until she passed at 104 years old. My mother, who was my first teacher. My mother always said, ”We did not travel this far just to sit at the 'back of the bus.’ My sister Rose, who changed our generation by being the first one to move to the United States. I share a mantra with her—“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Walk slow, but never backward. Also, have a song in your heart, a spring in your step. That will pull you through anything life will give you.
What advice would you give to those who want to rise to leadership positions?
Believe! Have faith in God, yourself, your family, your staff, your workplace, your country.
During an RWP tour for expectant mothers, Maria Patawaran uses a water bottle to demonstrate how much blood typically can be lost during delivery.