June Sterling
My journey through my career has had no straight lines – only worn out ones! I come from a family of four girls, raised by a mom who never had the opportunities to realize her worth. I took on the persona of a “tom boy” in hopes of being taken seriously and I embraced things like sports and fitness. My professional career moved quick and I was only 32 when I became the youngest and only woman to hold an important position in a male dominated workforce. It seemed like I had achieved so much, but that career wasn’t what I truly wanted. I’ve always been passionate about sports, so I eventually started to chase that dream. The day I was interviewed for my current job with Baseball Canada, I cried – I had finally made it!
My journey is proof that you should never give up on your dream career. Now that I’m here, I’m trying to make it easier for all the young women coming after me. I work hard for equality in sport, but other professional areas as well, to pave the way for future generations. Every day I work to bring gender, equity and diversity to baseball, but I know my role is much more than that. Through my career I know that I can better myself, but also the world. One of my proudest accomplishments is raising my daughter to be a strong woman. Now she is taking on the same roles I did decades ago to ensure that women coming after her have doors opened for them.
My favorite saying is: “In All Things Love.” It’s so important to love what you do and I’m overjoyed to be living the dream. My work is difficult and sometimes the barriers to gender equity are immense. Some days are very difficult and my career path hasn’t been easy. However, I can’t help but realize that I’m contributing to such a big step in the right direction for girls, especially those who want to enter the world of sports. I remind myself every day that even small contributions, like mine, make a huge difference.
“My journey is proof that you should never give up on your dream career.”
A note about internet safety:
Privacy online is important, please remember to keep your personal information to yourself.
You are encouraged to comment anonymously with your questions below, and the mentor will reply within the thread.