March 22, 2023

Women’s History Month Employee Spotlight: Jodi Peterman

Name: Jodi Peterman
Title: Paralegal
Years at KK: 1 year and 9 months
Obstacles you’ve overcome as a woman in a male-dominated profession: I think the biggest lesson that I have had to learn is one that exists in any male dominate environment. It is that boys/men are given a different set of rules and expectations for each situation than girls/women are. These rules are not explicitly or intentionally taught so much as they are learned from the people and society around us. Observing the unspoken “rules” has helped me to understand the male view and to re-evaluate what I was taught as a female. I believe that when the knowledge gap is bridged it helps men and women navigate any environment.
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?: For me, any month about awareness is a reminder to see the world, or even individual situations, through the eyes of another. We should all stop to consider that the vantage point of one is not necessarily the same for others. Woman’s History Month is a reminder to see how far women’s issues have come and at the same time acknowledge that progress still needs to be made.
Favorite Quote or Mantra: “When I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] and I say, ‘When there are nine,’ people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” ― Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Name a woman that inspires you and why: The woman that inspires me the most is any woman sitting or standing next to me at any given moment. I strive to see her for who she is, but yet I don’t see her at all. She is the woman that gets up each morning and beats odds that are invisible to others. She faces each day, usually with a smile for a stranger and compassion for others, because that is what we are taught to do as little girls. She is taught to be strong and stand up when needed because we are also taught that we should. She is taught to appreciate herself and yet will also struggle to accept herself as she is. Sometimes I can only see her challenges and sometimes I only see her success and both should be an inspiration.