A young girl holds a football. Her heart pounds as beads of sweat form around the pink headband taming her flyaways. Spotting her teammate sprinting downfield, she draws back her arm to throw as the silence of the world around her screams in her ears. She throws the ball and…

     A woman stands in a conference room. Her heart pounds as people gather around the dark wooden table in the center of the room. The adrenaline rushes through her head and the silence of the room screams in her ears just like it did as a child. She begins the speech that will hopefully land her dream job. But the woman is calm and takes a deep breath. Her experience playing flag football has prepared her for this moment.

     According to an ESPN report, 94% of women who now hold C-suite positions played sports during their childhood. However, by age 14, girls drop out of sports at twice the rate as boys as girls have 1.3 million less opportunities to play high school sports than boys. To change this, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted their second annual “She is Football” event focusing on “providing opportunities to keep girls in the game and develop the next generation of leaders.”

      I was in attendance, and I saw how all women are stronger, better and more successful when we lift each other up. Women in sports today are working to uplift the next generation of girls with the same love and passion for sports. As the first female sports editor of The Chronicle, I hope to do the same someday.

     At the start of the event, I attended a breakout session with senior supply chain director at Jabil Manufacturing Company, Josye Santiago. As a young girl growing up in Brazil, she found her path by “raising her hand” and using what she called “soft skills” to create opportunities for herself to lead an impactful career. 

     “Raise your hand, ask for feedback, don’t take things personally, serve people and when you decide to do something, be the best at it,” Santiago said about what has led to her success. “These skills, you do not learn in the classroom,” she added.

     Soft skills are gained through life experiences. And for many girls, these skills are gained through sports.  Learning to take ownership after a hard loss, working to improve and listening to constructive feedback are all a part of being an athlete, and these experiences lead to the harnessing of soft skills. Josye Santiago was that young woman in the conference room once and because she was a child athlete, she had the soft skills that landed her the job and propelled her to a C-Suite position at Jabil.    

     I was also able to attend a session with founder and CEO of Sportsish, Lily Shimbashi. Shimbashi had a similar dream to me. From a young age, she knew she wanted a career in sports. But her vision was different. She wanted to reach a different demographic: women.

     Her approach is offering sports content with a different perspective. Rather than stats and records, she goes deeper into the players in their respective sport. Covering their lives and likes and bringing a feminine edge to sports that are primarily male dominated.  

     Starting out by founding her school’s first broadcast network and sending hundreds of emails to companies about her new take on sports coverage, she shared stories of times she felt unworthy of being in positions or situations. But she kept working towards her vision. Even if it meant she would live in debt for years while building Sportsish and only accept her first paycheck last January — while raising two children. 

     Now, she gives young female journalists more opportunities and support by employing college students. Shimbashi recently signed a contract with ESPN and her journey to success displays the importance of soft skills. She pushed to achieve something and be the best at it and now she creates pathways for young women to do the same. 

     After the event, I spoke with Casey Phillips, team reporter and media specialist for the Buccaneers. She shared how much the event means to her as a female reporter in a male-dominated sport. 

     “It was so cool to see an NFL team … that is so dominant put that kind of effort and energy into an event for women,” she said. 

     Phillips talked about the advancements of women in sports journalism while offering her own advice to achieve success. 

    “It’s incredible how many more women [in journalism] there are now and the progress we’ve made in the last decade,” she said. She also emphasized “standing up for yourself” when working as a reporter, but how it “doesn’t feel so crazy to be a woman doing it” anymore. 

     At the end of the event, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor gave a closing speech. Castor, a basketball player at the University of Tampa from 1977-1981, has been a dedicated advocate for women’s sports. After her speech, I spoke with her about her thoughts on how women’s sports today have progressed from when she was an athlete.

     “The level of talent is incredible [and] the level of athleticism has just advanced incredibly. But the equity, ensuring that women have the same facilities, departments and opportunities as men [is so important],” she said. 

     Castor said she was “a product of Title IX,” a 1972 civil rights law that required schools to give female and male athletes the same opportunities, scholarships and treatment. The law, which was created and upheld by women, changed the future of women’s sports, enabling women to play and not be excluded or treated unfairly because of their gender.

     Young girls like me will achieve our dreams because of these women. From Lily Shimbashi — who knew what she wanted to become from an early age, so she worked towards her dream. To Mayor Castor, who is a leading voice for women’s sports, and Casey Phillips, who continues to inspire young women as a female in a male-dominated profession like the NFL.

     And Josye Santiago, who went to college at 16 and moved around the world pursuing better career opportunities. But Josye achieved her success because she believed in herself and her soft skills. When she saw an opportunity, she raised her hand. And every time she did, she pulled my hand, and the hands of women everywhere, up with her.