{"id":85497,"date":"2025-03-13T16:07:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T21:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=85497"},"modified":"2025-03-13T16:07:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T21:07:17","slug":"womens-day-panel-encourages-self-care-and-perseverance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=85497","title":{"rendered":"Women&#8217;s Day panel encourages self-care and perseverance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By RORY MOORE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Fort Hays State University American Democracy Project and Student Government Association hosted an International Women\u2019s Day Panel inside the Black and Gold Room on Wednesday. Madison Albers and Miriam Benavides-Ortega led a panel consisting of Hsin-Yen Yang, April Park and Wendy Rohleder-Sook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the topics discussed was self-care, and each panelist advised on how to practice the method.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I\u2019m stressed, one of the things I do is avoid the things I should take care of,\u201d Park, a professor of psychology, said. \u201cMy act of self-care is to look at some of the things I must take care of, the ones I want to avoid for obvious reasons, and try to face those things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"299\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-85502\" data-id=\"85502\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5.jpg?resize=790%2C299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C388&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C140&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C57&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C291&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C581&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C775&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-of-5-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Dr. April Park, Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang, and Dr. Wendy Rohleder-Sook take questions at the International Women&#8217;s Day panel. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"334\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-85501\" data-id=\"85501\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5.jpg?resize=790%2C334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C433&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C157&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C63&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C325&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C650&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C867&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-of-5-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The American Democracy Project and Student Government Project host the International Women&#8217;s Day Panel inside the Black and Gold Room. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"396\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-85500\" data-id=\"85500\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5.jpg?resize=790%2C396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C513&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C185&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C75&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C385&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C769&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1026&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Each panelist shared their experience in the work force and how they navigated male-dominated settings.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"366\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-85499\" data-id=\"85499\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5.jpg?resize=790%2C366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C475&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C171&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C70&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C356&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C712&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C949&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4-of-5-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Rohleder-Sook speaks on how her support system has helped her career path as Yang listens.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"741\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-85498\" data-id=\"85498\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5.jpg?resize=741%2C1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=741%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 741w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=188%2C260&amp;ssl=1 188w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=109%2C150&amp;ssl=1 109w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1061&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1112%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1112w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1482%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1482w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?w=1853&amp;ssl=1 1853w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5-of-5-scaled.jpg?w=1580 1580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Park would like to see more female representation in leadership roles. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Yang, a communication studies professor, uses time management as her self-care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe all have a busy schedule,\u201d she said. \u201cI do my best to schedule my time so the day or night before, I will know what\u2019s going on the next day. I\u2019ve also learned to find your limit. Don\u2019t schedule too many things and say yes all the time. It\u2019s okay to take a break, but keep everybody informed. So, if there are three things that are due tomorrow and you really can\u2019t do it, notify your team and supervisor. Keep them in the loop and get some discipline.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rohleder-Sook, chair of the Department of Communication Studies, uses work-life balance as her method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve heard it better described as work-life harmony and something that may fluctuate over time, depending on where you are in life and what responsibilities you take,\u201d she said. \u201cI regulated that into two categories: one is personal commitments like exercise, two dogs that require a lot of attention, and sitting out on my back deck listening to the birds. The other one is support, whether at work or outside of work, to lift you up and support you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said such support is best from women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI find that my biggest support comes from other women,\u201d Rohleder-Sook said. \u201cMany of them might just be there to say, \u2018Hey! How\u2019s it going?\u2019 or whatever it might be to lessen the stress and say, \u2018I get it. I\u2019ve been there.\u2019 I\u2019m part of Women Who Lead, an organization that does great community service-type work, and that\u2019s another way women helping other women that I find very supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One question for the panelists asked how motherhood has influenced their career path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve successfully raised my child to adulthood,\u201d Rohleder-Sook said. \u201cI was working in Lawrence while my husband was working in Topeka. We decided to move to Hays so we could be closer to family, and we had to figure out who had the flexibility to stay home with my son because it was going to be one of us. Having a support system, whether that\u2019s family or friends who can sometimes pick up those loads is really helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The panelists were asked about cultivating confidence against self-doubt in a male-dominated setting, and Yang attributed her answer to her experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSince I got to the United States, even when I was in Taiwan, I never had a male colleague who was toxic,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause of the leadership style, sometimes we doubt ourselves. Am I strong enough? Am I assertive enough? Am I being bossy? The list goes on. My friends say they never thought about those things. They want something, they get it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She emphasized the need to avoid being overly polite, which she called the \u2018Nice Girl Syndrome.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need to find a balance between being nice and being professional, efficient and assertive, and not being aggressive,\u201d Yang said. \u201cBeing assertive doesn\u2019t mean you are aggressive. When you have self-doubt, reach out to your colleagues. A lot of women need that support, and I\u2019m very fortunate that I can reach out to my colleagues to be well prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Park noted that while progress has been made, she wishes to see female representation in leadership across professional spaces.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to see more women represented in leadership roles in any organization or task force,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you compare psychology students 100 years ago, it\u2019s now female-dominated, but when you look at the proportion of men in leadership, it doesn\u2019t change much. So, I\u2019d assume that that is similar in other professions when finding that gap. That\u2019s what I\u2019d like and hope to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She sees academia as a viable means of enabling successful women and teaching girls to hone their skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat we could do is a grassroots movement,\u201d Park said. \u201cThere are a variety of things we can cultivate, like promoting the mentorship or sponsorship program to develop these skills for women. I feel very fortunate to be in my department having strong female leadership but I think more systematic changes in organizations could be one step we can work towards.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By RORY MOORE Tiger Media Network The Fort Hays State University American Democracy Project and Student Government Association hosted an International Women\u2019s Day Panel inside&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":85500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3398,11],"tags":[14533,16184,16185],"class_list":["post-85497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-news","tag-international-womens-day","tag-national-womens-day","tag-womens-day"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3-of-5-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1282&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=85497"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85503,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85497\/revisions\/85503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/85500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=85497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=85497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=85497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}