Education comes first, speaker says

    Women should stop sacrificing their education for their families and step up to earn their degrees, a speaker said when she spoke on leadership skills at the Women's Leadership Seminar sponsored by the Women in New Roles (WIN-R) in December.

    Jani Rogers, instructor of Speech on SE Campus, believes students involved in WIN-R will learn to network with others and discover how important it is to set and achieve goals.

    A mother of five, Rogers believes any woman who follows this plan will truly be a winner.

    Rogers urges all students to remember their passion, because it is what drives them to evolve into a leader of one.

    "Everyone is talented in some way, so do not let others degrade you," she said.

    To become top leaders, women need lots of energy, responsibility and self-confidence. Women are capable of accomplishing anything with the right amount of enthusiasm. Since times are changing so rapidly, Rogers said, women should adapt to being in nontraditional roles.

    "The only thing constant in our lives is change," she said.

    Rogers described two types of people in the workforce: accepters and adapters. Those individuals who adapt to new situations move along with the quickly changing times, while those who simply accept their situation get left behind.

    Rogers also believes students must be resilient in order to overcome obstacles and become leaders.

    "If you accept defeat, you will not be able to become the leader you need to be to succeed," she said.

    Leaders need to lead and set examples for others to follow, Rogers said.

    "Live your personal creed as if you were being watched on television," she said.