“I have my dream job here. I get to see these phenomenal women actually fulfill some of their goals or dreams, find their voice and that’s pretty amazing to be a part of.
Women across the board are accomplishing great things, with high enrollment in medical and law school and women being elected to office in unprecedented numbers. What’s staggering is how we’re still underrepresented as federal judges, in corporate boards and in receiving venture capital.
There are so many talented and amazing women here at the U, and I’m passionate about helping them find their voice—giving them an opportunity to stand up for themselves and to have their brilliant ideas heard. I believe that a woman should have a place anywhere she wants to be.
My grandmother was a teacher back in the time when it was not easy for women to be teachers. They wouldn’t let her teach for a time after she was married, then, when the laws changed, it was because she didn’t have a graduate degree. She was still super passionate about education. So she went back to school as a mother of six children to get her degree so that she could continue to teach.
My mom was also a teacher, and so it’s a legacy in our family. It’s an honor for me to carry on that tradition, and they instilled that love for education.
My path toward becoming an educator was not the most direct. Even though my mom and grandma were teachers, I had never thought of being one myself. I didn’t know what to major in at the start, but I remember my grandma saying to me: ‘You’ll know it when you find it.’
I went to an after-class seminar with professional consultants, and it was in that moment that I knew consulting was for me. I worked in Silicon Valley for eight years, then went to pursue my graduate degree.
What happened is that I ended up being waitlisted at my dream school, and went to Oxford instead for my MBA. It was there that someone told me I should pursue a Ph.D. and go into academia.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and I feel like I have a greater impact with the 300 students I work with. It’s never the same day twice, with new problems and challenges to face.”
—Heidi Herrick, associate professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy