WHEN a woman has found her voice and makes herself visible in her community, she is ready for success.
This view comes from Helen Romero, a faculty member of St. Paul University Iloilo who also handles the university’s external and international relations, and one of this year’s winners of the search for The Outstanding Women of Iloilo City (TOWIL).
Women, then and now, are trailblazers, according to Romero. With conditions not very hospitable, women tend to break barriers, especially when engaged in fields that are traditionally dominated by men and bring to light the contributions of women in these fields, she explained.
“We enhance, improve, challenge, and critique male-dominated conventional ways of thinking and looking at things, and propose alternatives that could benefit the fields that we engage in and the communities that we inhabit,” said Romero.
A woman has to possess self-awareness, self-care, grit, presence, mindfulness, and attentiveness as these define community and societal engagement, she stressed.
“If we know who we are, what we can contribute, and continue to cultivate and hone our knowledge, talents, and skills and know when we use and harness them in response to the needs of the community, then we could be successful in what we do,” she said.
When Romero was starting her career in community development in New York, United States, her journalistic skills of identifying important issues helped her navigate the development field in rural finance.
She shared that her boss once asked her, “How did you know all these things when you are not an economics major?” and she simply responded, “I listen to the farmers and fisherfolk and build upon their own insights to come up with solid analysis of the problems and recommendations.”
“This is what being attentive and mindful is about,” she emphasized.
Romero also stressed the significance of faith; trust in God builds confidence.
“In theological terms, a woman is successful when she goes to the center with God and leaves God in the center to go back at the margins,” she said.
However, Romero said women have to be careful about being at the margins.
“This does not mean belittling ourselves but rather giving credit where credit is due. Being at the margins entails confidence and a clear-eye knowledge that we could do what we can, but we choose to be in solidarity with those who lack the tools and the conditions to realize their full potentials. We stay at the margins to help them go to the center with God,” she explained.
Romero also said each one is unique and has gifts different from the other.
Though many would consider Romero as someone they could look up to, she emphasized: “I could only be a role model, in terms of how one responds and lives to one’s calling or vocation.”
For her, success is being able to capitalize on one’s skills and knowledge and using them to better serve one’s family and community./PN
