The Zonta Club of Wollongong will recognise more young women at an annual lunch it hosts for International Women’s Day in March.
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Zonta's annual Young Women in Public Affairs Award is a highlight and recognises young women who demonstrate a commitment to leadership in public policy, government and volunteer organisations.
The lunch at Centro CBD on March 12 will feature guest speaker being Katie Patterson.
The former TIGS school captain recently became the first female referee in an A-League soccer game and juggles her sporting passion with her career as a manager in the finance and performance management consulting team at Deloitte. Speaking at a recent Illawarra Women in Business lunch the former TIGS captain said “I have had to work very hard over the last few years to try and find that balance (between football refereeing and work). It is never an easy or smooth life. But..I have been very fortunate to have the experience I have had in being able to officiate A-League players.”
But Ms Patterson said balancing the commitments of study and sport when she was at school helped prepare her for what she is doing now.
"I had been doing these two things my who life so I didn't really see it as something unusual or different and I probably didn't appreciate, as much as I should have, the support I was getting at the time to do that as well as I could,” she said.
“It is not really until you leave that school environment and the comfort of home...that you think where did that support network go," she said
Which is one of the reasons she is keen to help others by being involved in initiatives such as being a participant in the Young Professional Women Australia mentoring program.
Tickets and information on 0417 702 520.
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