At Stone Ridge, students are empowered to achieve great things, both during their time at school and beyond. While in school we may look to women like Malala Yousafzai and Emma Watson for inspiration, many members of the Sacred Heart community are equally impressive. This journalist had the pleasure of speaking with two such women, Dr. Lewis, mother of Delia Friel, ’16, and Mrs. Kolb, mother of Alice Felker, ’16. Here are some of the things they had to share with an upcoming generation of hardworking women.
What is your job and what does it entail?
Lewis: I am a Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Physician. I take care of patients who are critically ill, meaning in the intensive care unit in the hospital, and also of patients with lung problems, and [of those] with sleep problems such as sleep apnea.
Kolb: I am the Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. I write and review briefs and criminal appeals in federal and local court in all kinds of criminal cases, from misdemeanors to serious felonies.
What is the most important lesson you have learned through your career?
Lewis: I find it really important to enjoy what I’m doing because if I don’t enjoy what I’m doing at work, and if I don’t enjoy the people I’m working with, then it’s really not worth it. It’s really important for me to have a good attitude and to work with people who are nice, kind, and very good doctors.
Kolb: Sometimes you have to be willing and able to say that you’ve done the best that you can and move on, because you can’t control everything. In the process of being a lawyer, for example, sometimes the court or the jury doesn’t do what you think they should do, but you have to be able to go home at night and say, “Hey, I did the best that I could with what I had.” I think that the same is true with the work-life balance. You wish that your house were cleaner, you wish that your kids’ shirts were ironed and starched all the time. But on the other hand, you feel you’ve done the best you can.
What advice do you have for SR girls hoping to succeed in the workplace?
Lewis: Choose a career that’s interesting to you and that’s challenging to you and that you really enjoy. It’s hard to envision doing something over the course of your life when you’re so young, but if something isn’t very interesting to you or very challenging to you, your interest is not going to hold. Also, your first decision isn’t necessarily what you’ll finally do. Things in life change; things in your career change, and you have to be willing to be flexible.
Kolb: Always take advantage of opportunities, especially mentorship opportunities. If you’re working with someone, always seek advice or ask people, “How could I have done it better?” That’s a skill, learning how to to develop relationships with other co-workers and supervisors. I would encourage people not to be either too shy or, on the other side, over-confident, because you can always get something from somebody else as far as an alternative way of doing something.
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