Female Forte

As we acknowledge women’s history this month, I would lift up an attribute of the female condition – a forte of indefinable strength. I have had a lifetime experiencing this phenomenon of female forte, if you will, through the lives of loved ones, friends, neighbors, mentors, and myself. It is not a boastful or sporadic aspect of being a woman, but rather an inherent pledge to the moments ahead that one can reach within and find to overcome life’s obstacles. 

Envisioning one’s future can be an encouraging exercise. As someone who enjoys planning and creating, it is almost automatic for me to fill the imminent with expectations for what can be. I have also learned that visions of the future are often thwarted by reality. As a student at NMU in the early 2000’s, I engaged eagerly on a path forward with classes and extracurriculars and envisioned good prospects. Then, at 18, my reality suddenly and clandestinely changed.

I was to be a mother.

The visions I once had for the future of my life were substituted with vast, yet accessible, far superior images. I expected to feel obligated to abandon opportunities to achieve, but actually felt emboldened to do more. I felt internally supported to continue my education. 

The education I received from NMU was my entry into an accessible future. Dr. William Ball’s course opened my eyes to concepts of political science and law. Dr. David Haynes’ courses allowed me to discern value in the administration of federal, state, and local governments. Many other educators and courses and institutions guided me step-by-step into the career and community path that I find myself on today. 

Eventually, with my children in tow, I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Northern Michigan University in 2010. I went on to earn a Master of Public Administration Degree from Central Michigan University in 2012, a Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University in 2016, and a Master of Law in Criminal Law and Advocacy from Western Michigan University in 2017; all while working full-time along the way in various non-profit and governmental organizations throughout Northern Michigan. I became a licensed attorney in the State of Michigan in 2017. I have also worked to represent women and children who were victims of sexual assault and domestic violence for Legal Services of Northern Michigan, operated my own legal practice, and was appointed as Chief Assistant Prosecutor working daily to provide justice to victims of crime. Most recently, to further my quest for analysis, I am currently a Ph.D. candidate orally defending dissertation proposal in Criminal Justice and Justice Administration at Walden University of Minneapolis, MN and I am currently appointed as an Attorney Magistrate for the 89th District Court. 

I believe there are unique challenges for women and mothers to be successful in any area of life. Distinctively, women and mothers have layers of love, worry, and responsibility that they are traversing everyday with unparalleled notions of tender care and brute force. Thankfully, I have maintained the exercise of having encouraging visions for my future and reality has never ceased to keep me responsive to the priorities I have earned. I would not have it any other way.

Female forte has been an underpinning in my life’s triumphs – big and small. Not only to feel fortified to charter paths not often chosen by a woman or a young mother, but also to circumnavigate systemic barriers to full and equal participation in fields requiring full commitment, thorough training, and expertise. This March, as we uphold the strength and valor of women in the present and throughout history, I am overjoyed to envision the strength and successes of women in the future. Women who have a precedence of women before them that made choices to embrace reality and use their forte to seek out life, and flourish.