By Sania Patel and Payton Robbins
Yucca City Reporters
To start off our day, the members of the Girls State program attended a lecture from Lisa Matthews, the current Assistant to the County Administrator in Pima County.
During the meeting, she discussed the importance of communication, leadership, and open-minded discussions, as she detailed her work and impact.
Lisa Matthews has worked with Pima County for over thirty years and enjoys every bit of her experience, despite its high demand and workload.
To begin the lecture, Matthews began with a story of one of her largest projects – The Loop – in Pima County.
Initially, the area – now 137 miles of paved pathways and bike lanes – held expensive homes. These homes, however, were constantly under the threat of flooding, so in order to reduce the issue, the County Administrators proposed The Loop.
Despite its amenities, The Loop was widely disputed, as most residents of Tucson believed it was a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Instead of giving up, Matthews and her team worked to create celebrations centered around The Loop. During these public gatherings, Matthews would talk with the members of her community, hoping to gain insight into their views, opinions, and concerns.
Throughout her story, Matthews highlighted the importance of “connect[ing] with your communities to learn their needs.
After discussing the responsibilities of her work, she began to discuss the broader topic of women’s education and representation.
She stated, “…when I was coming through, I didn’t see very many women in leadership positions…all the other [positions] were directed by men. Seeing that, and seeing how that space is changing, I absolutely try to inspire people”.
When the lecture was finished, Matthews opened the floor to questions and provided delegates with incredibly insightful responses.
Angela Prevatt, a member of Yucca City, decided to target a part of the lecture Matthews described. While discussing some of the difficulties her work offers, Matthews described various instances of harsh criticism.
Prevatt, wanting to go further in-depth, asked Matthews to talk about how she dealt with the criticism she faced from her constituents and how she gathered the strength to keep moving forward.
Matthews – pointing out the importance of self-confidence and understanding – responded, “First of all, you have to know who you are. Know your strengths and know your weaknesses because people will pick you to the bone. But the next thing is to focus on what is the ultimate goal…people are going to have their opinions about you, good or bad, and sometimes the bad might be a bit of criticism you need to fix up, and sometimes the criticism is just hot air coming out of somebody’s mouth…the challenge is – and what we need to do – is focus on the ultimate goal”.
Throughout her discussion – and while answering questions – Matthews also connected with the students through larger meanings.
For example, Ally Rumzis – a student from Yucca City – shared that her favorite statement was, “You have 24 hours to make as much of a difference as you can”.
Matthews concluded her meeting with Girls State by offering advice, in which she confidently empowered the young ladies in the room by declaring how women need to fight for what they believe in and stand up for each other and themselves.
By focusing on empowerment and the impact of her work, Lisa Matthews captivated the students at Girls State and helped them realize the power women have.