Today is International Women’s Day and the theme is March Forward: For ALL Women and Girls. In celebration of empowering others and leading the way, we recently spoke with Ladder Alumni program member Harmonee about her recent promotion and leadership opportunity at work.  

Harmonee joined the Ladder Step Up Latrobe Valley program in 2021 and has come a long way since then. Like many others, Harmonee’s journey was not linear. Ladder supported Harmonee and celebrated her wins and helped her overcome the challenges that she experienced along the way.

“Ladder definitely helped me re-engage. I was very stuck. I didn’t know if I wanted to go back to school or not. They helped me with trying to get into TAFE… I wanted to get a job, so I used my skills of what I learned in the Ladder program. They brought out the best in me. Engaging in work and communicating and being the better me.” said Harmonee.

Following the Ladder program, Harmonee gained casual employment at her local Woolworths in February 2022 and last year, she was asked to step into a relief Assistant Manager for a period of time. Recently, and just days before her third year anniversary with the company, she excitedly shared with the Ladder team that she became a permanent Assistant Manager.

“I went further than I thought I was going to. I was more than happy just being a team member. Getting this manager role definitely opened up my perspective on what I could achieve in such a short time” she said.

Harmonee leads a team of 10-15 staff members each shift, ranging from all different ages and skill sets. She takes pride in her many responsibilities, including managing the day staff and preparing for the night staff and building connections with customers.

This International Women’s Day, Harmonee is encouraging all women and girls to believe in themselves and take that leap.

“Give it a go. You never know until you’ve tried something. I got given the opportunity. I tried it, I proved myself and I got it!” she said.

Harmonee also shared that it’s not always smooth sailing and that there can be times when things don’t go to plan. She’s learned to reflect and overcome these with her can-do attitude.

“You pick yourself up. You find a moment to breathe and then you’re like, okay, you’ve got this!”

Harmonee has plans to continue in her assistant manager role and wants to revisit her goal of studying nursing, to get into midwifery. She will be returning to the Ladder program shortly, this time to play a mentoring role with current participants by sharing her story and inspiring them to achieve their goals.

We are proud to see young, female leaders from the Ladder program paving the way for other women and girls and empowering them to be the best that they can be.

Photo of Harmonee when she first became employed in 2022.