It’s International Women’s Day, and we wanted to take this moment to appreciate women, especially those in STEM fields around the world. Mobile Defenders wants to give a shout out to every woman who has made our incredible technological advances possible over this past century.

We took some time to ask some of the amazing women in our office about themselves and their roles in the industry. See what they had to say below.

What’s your role at Mobile Defenders, and how long have you been in the industry?

Jennie: I’m the Marketing Manager, and before that I was an Account Executive for Sales. I’ve been with Mobile Defenders since September of 2014, so I’ve been a part of this industry for a little more than three years now.

Robyn: I’m the Customer Service Manager. I started at MD in December of 2016, so this has been my first foray into the actual tech industry, even though I’ve always loved it. I think I started really getting interested in tech when I was around 18 or 19, and a lot of my new friends at college were guys who built their own PCs. I've always found that sort of thing intriguing and hope to learn how to do that myself one of these days.

Kayla: I’m the Creative Director, and I’ve been in the tech industry for about a year and a half.

Julia: I’m a Regional Account Manager for the Sales Team, and I’ve been here so just over a year!

What’s your favorite part about working in the technology industry?

Jennie: I love that the repair industry is very young. I think there are a lot of members of this industry that are young, hungry, and passionate about what they do. I worked very closely with technology while studying art in college, but once I started with MD, my perspective of all of this equipment that I had used changed completely, and I got to learn more about where all of those devices had come from.

Robyn: I love that I'm surrounded by people just like myself who love technology and that I get to see how everything works. It's interesting to break down devices and see all of the tiny components that make them tick.

Kayla: Technology is always evolving. It's been exciting to see how each part of the industry learns and improves over time. Before working in the mobile repair parts industry, I was unaware of the intricacies within each part on a device. Every part has a specific purpose, and I've loved learning how these parts work together to power a device that is in many people's hands for hours during the day.

Julia: I love knowing all of the tips and trick with phones. If one of my friends is having an issue with their phone, I usually know the cause. I also love how when cool new features come out, we usually know about them first.

Tell me about a time that you felt empowered or like you made a difference in the industry.

Jennie: When I was in Sales, I managed the biggest book of business the company had ever seen at the time. I had a TON of partners that I worked with and helped grow. I would also like to point out that I was the only woman on the sales team with like, 7 guys, so that was cool.

Robyn: The most empowering experience I’ve had is when I was promoted to manager of the customer service department. I was personally requested to lead the department by the higher-ups. That’s really empowering!

Kayla: One of the biggest impacts I made in the industry was working with my team to launch our partnership with Motorola. Offering Motorola Authorized OEM parts is huge because repair stores can offer end-users a true OEM experience where their phones function as Motorola intended...and this is just the beginning! The process of planning and marketing this launch was one of the most exciting times I've had at Mobile Defenders. The content creators all got out of the office, went to a coffee shop, and spit crazy ideas for hours on how we would tell our customers.

Julia: I’m proud of being the first female Regional Account Manager here at MD. I also compete against my male coworkers in sales initiatives all the time, and I pretty much kick butt.

Tell me about a woman that you look up to.

Jennie: After I saw the movie "Hidden Figures" I was so inspired by the story of Katherine Johnson and the way that she redefined the perception of female "human computers" at the time. Her first major project at NASA was trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 mission around the world, which was HUGE. She was brilliant and I'm so glad that I saw that movie and learned her story.

Robyn: My role model is from way back in the tech industry. Hedy Lamarr is primarily known as an actress, but in her spare time, she worked on a lot of tech discoveries. She helped to create Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum which later led to WiFi and Bluetooth technology. Without her inventions, I don't think any of us would have jobs!

Kayla: One of the many women I look up to is my former boss, Zoe Bartlett, founder of Intentional Table. She was a former chef, turned entrepreneur, who saw value in bringing people together over a meal. With an infectious smile, and nurturing personality, she taught me the importance of confidence and being well-spoken. Although I haven't mastered the latter fully, I continue to work on it. Since working in her brick and mortar venue, she has taken the business in a new direction and is writing a book called "If Tables Could Talk", where she has traveled across the U.S. to hear stories that happened around the table. She is an inspiration for her vivacity for life, her kind spirit, and her drive to make her dream a reality.

Julia: I really look up to Erin Andrews for being a dominant, strong, and trend setting women in the sports industry. She is very well respected and always stays on top of everything so if something is thrown her way out of left field she always has an answer.

What’s one change you’d like to see about women’s roles in the industry?

Jennie: I’d love to see more women play a larger role in the industry. Sometimes it feels like there’s a barrier for entry for a lot of women in technology fields. I just know that in the years to come, we’ll see more and more women, and they’ll be getting the respect they deserve.

Robyn: I'd love to see more women in tech overall. Tech has this reputation of being a "boys' club" and that reputation needs to be thrown in the trash and set on fire. I want to see women ripping apart computers and phones and building them back up again for fun, but the thing I want to see the most in the tech industry is women leading the charge and being innovators for new and exciting technologies. Most importantly, I want to see these women getting the recognition they deserve.

Kayla: We've worked with very talented women techs. From mobile to drone repairs, they are experts in the field. I would encourage women who enjoy tech to learn the tricks of the trade. It is empowering to learn and understand how a phone or drone works, but it's even more empowering to know how to fix it with your own two hands.

Julia: We need the public eye to focus on some of the most influential women in technology - someone little girls can look up to. Women are starting to be involved in the industry more and more but we need people to recognize that we’ve always been here, and that we’ve have made and will continue to make a huge difference.

Thank you to all of the women out there who are working hard to improve not just our industry, but STEM fields as a whole. We salute you!