Local women who faced adversity, questioned career paths, overcame uncertainty, and cleared obstacles shared their struggles March 21 during a panel discussion in honor of Women’s History Month. 

This Is Us: Career Conversations with Women of Color, a candid discussion with women who have created careers in a variety of industries, provided students with relatable evidence that career success doesn’t come with a road map. Participants got a glimpse into the path that each woman took to find their true calling in life and frequently the initial plan changed. The takeaway message was that the path to a successful career is not always clear. Changes in life sometimes necessitate a shift in plans but being willing to change allowed the panelists’ dreams to flourish.

Noting that many on the panel chose their career paths for altruistic reasons, Apriel Biggs-Coker admitted that she had a completely different mindset when she set out to find the right career.

“I didn’t want to be broke,” said Apriel, acknowledging that she had “visions of grandeur” as she mapped out her next move.

Apriel imagined herself moving to New York City and working as a pediatric surgeon. While the plan eventually changed, she knew she wanted a STEM career. Apriel said that growing up, she was one of the only black students at her school and she felt out of place. When she attended a conference and saw young black students who she could identify with, she felt a sense of belonging that didn’t exist for her previously. She eventually earned an engineering degree and was hired by Sikorsky Aircraft. Her job involved travel, affording her the chance to fulfill a dream to see the world and she got to fly to China, Mexico and Poland, among other places, and see how her work was having an impact abroad.

“Where you start isn’t always where you finish,” Apriel said, describing how she eventually made a career change that allowed her to make the move to New York City that she had long dreamed about.

Today, Apriel works as a director in the ITS Portfolio Management Office at Yale University. She stressed that students shouldn’t feel pressured to pursue a career that doesn’t match their dream for themselves, noting “no one needs to agree” with their chosen path.

Joy Monsanto, owner of 50’s on Fitch Restaurant and Lounge, said that she left home at 16 and worked in the cosmetics industry. Eventually, Monsanto transitioned into a real estate career, developing an interest in fixing up blighted houses before seeing a chance to open a restaurant as a new opportunity to pursue. She invested a great deal of money to open the location, along the way encountering racism and being discouraged from opening.

Joy, who has a degree in art, said that she resented the naysayers and having to deal with a court fight in order to follow through on her plan. She persevered and opened the location. Her advice to students was to stay focused on their goals.

“Don’t let anybody put you in a box. People told me I could not do this,” Joy said.

Leigh Roberts, Student Engagement and Career Development Associate at GCC, said that the panelists were open and honest with students. She added that attendees expressed that they left very inspired by the discussion.

“I wanted to bring forth a panel of women of color that would not only inspire our students, but empower them on career options that they may not have thought about, were not aware of, or more importantly, have never seen someone that looks like them doing,” Leigh said.