Each semester, the Office of Inclusive Excellence invites women in the UGA community to share three insights on leadership at Lead@3 sessions, which begin at 3 p.m. throughout the semester.
Sonia Garcia, assistant dean for inclusive excellence in the College of Engineering, and Paige Carmichael, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, spoke on their individual journeys and some lessons they learned along the way.
For Garcia, that journey begin in 1989, when she and her family immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. As a first-generation college student, her mentors played an important role in her pursuit of higher education and eventually inspired her to go into student affairs.
“In every opportunity I’ve had, I’ve tried to support other women,” Garcia said.
Garcia shared some attributes she finds useful in leadership, such as personal awareness, interpersonal skills, the ability to change and functional knowledge. She also offered some ways to support women’s leadership, such as attending talks and conferences put on by women, advocating for women’s achievements, mentoring other women, participating in professional development opportunities and supporting student organizations.
“I don’t see leadership as a straight line,” Garcia said. “I see it as continuous learning.”
Leadership was actually the last thing on Carmichael’s mind. Instead, she sees herself as an idea generator, connector, facilitator, silo bridger and pathfinder.
“It was not the easiest path forward, and something that is really important for me is to figure out ways I that can make that path easier for folks coming after me,” Carmichael said.
Carmichael shared some examples of how reaching out makes a difference. For instance, she helped researchers at the Lamar Dodd School of Art find out if a painting was hidden under another painting by connecting them with radiologists at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Carmichael’s journey to leadership positions took steady steps. She began by simply joining organizations, then becoming more involved. Other leaders noticed that involvement and encouraged her to take leadership positions.
One particular lesson Carmichael shared is the importance of spending 10% of time talking and 80% of time listening. People should be less focused on what they have to say and more focused on what the other person has to say.
Carmichael also credited her mentors, from her family to academic and professional experts, and stressed the importance finding and relying on them.
“Each one of these people has given me something different and extremely valuable,” Carmichael said.
