Dean Rivera's Experience as a Woman in Leadership Featured in Maryland Today

Along with five other female leaders at the University of Maryland, BSOS Dean Susan Rivera shared her experiences rising through the ranks of leadership during this Women’s History Month.

Dean Rivera said:

“When I think about where I am now and what I had to overcome, I think it was mainly learning to have confidence in myself and my own opinions, my own abilities, my own viewpoint. The barrier to that through my career has often been demonstrative, overbearing colleagues, mostly men, who—not because they were bad people, but because they were products of their own upbringing—were often very quick to talk over me or be dismissive of my ideas. As I grew through my career, I really had to overcome this feeling that if they think I don’t know what I’m talking about, I must not know what I’m talking about.

The other part of it was just finding my voice and standing my ground. I had to learn the right combination of being assertive and staying in the moment—sort of saying, ‘So let me reiterate what I was saying,’ or, ‘This is my perspective as a professional who has been working in this area for a long time.’ It wasn’t quick or easy. I took some little stumbles along the way, but once I learned how to navigate that space, that really opened a lot of doors for me.”

Published on Fri, Mar 29, 2024 - 12:47PM