This past year we saw the first woman get elected and sworn into the US Vice Presidency among many other firsts — the first openly transgender state senator in Delaware, the first ever female president in Greece, and 15 year old Gitanjali Rao being named Time magazine’s first ever “Kid of the year.”
This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating firsts at Lyft — the first women to go to college in their families, women who’ve tried something new for the first time, women living openly in their true identities for the first time, and women whose firsts drive change in their communities every day. We’re so fortunate to have a diverse community of women at Lyft — leaders, strategic thinkers, creators, communicators, builders, developers, thought provokers, motivators, makers, do-gooders and storytellers — #BecauseofYou is a celebration of every woman.
Angie Westbrock, Lyft’s VP of Global operations shared her story of firsts with Lyft team members today:
I grew up in a small town outside of Dayton, Ohio. I come from a line of pretty fierce women who, up until myself, were all stay-at-home mothers with a strong devotion to running the home. When I was 10 years old, my Dad lost his job and my family spent years struggling to recover. I got my first job on a paper route that year and began helping with family bills. From that moment on, my mom made it a point to stress financial independence as a woman and emphasized the importance of a college education, something she regretted never pursuing. Over the years, I saved money and worked hard to earn scholarships. I was able to put myself through engineering school. In 2002, I became the first woman in my family to graduate college.
Being the first can sometimes be challenging as there aren’t always examples to look to on how to perform the role in your own unique way. After becoming a Mom, I realized that I would have to find a different way to navigate work-life balance. Most people in senior leadership positions similar to mine were men who had stay-at-home wives taking care of the responsibilities at home.
At a previous job, I was selected to attend an exclusive 3-week executive leadership development program in Mexico City—a program unofficially required to move into more senior positions. I remember my boss saying that he was sure I wouldn’t want to leave my 18 month old son for that long, but wanted me to know I was chosen and made the list of top leaders in the organization invited to attend the program. After deliberating that night, I decided to accept the invitation on the condition that I would bring my husband and son on the trip. Surprised by my request, the company eventually agreed, and I became the first mother to attend the program. After hearing about my request, a new mother who’d previously turned down the invitation decided to join with her infant at her side. This set an example for female senior leaders that came after us, creating an opportunity that was previously out of reach.
Most recently I’ve been surrounded by and worked alongside strong women at Lyft. This past year, I led the COVID Taskforce where ⅔ of the team was women. I’ve been so inspired by women across Lyft driving change and leading with conviction.
This Women’s History Month, we invite you to celebrate all the women in your lives and in our communities. Here are some ways you can support Women this month. At Lyft, we’re honored to partner with organizations that promote safety, equity and economic opportunity for Women including:
Supporting local organizations to provide free and discounted rides through LyftUp. We support small, grassroots organizations — like Melinated Moms and Centro Community Partners — that help close transportation gaps for women through our Community Grants program and our Jobs Access Program helps women get rides to job interviews, job trainings, and/or their first few days of work
Allowing riders to round up and donate their fare to partners like RAINN and Black Girls Code. To date, Lyft riders have rounded up their ride fare to donate more than $22 million since 2017, providing thousands of free rides and supporting communities across North America.
Empowering and transforming the lives of women through partnerships with the National Sheriff Association and the Sheriff’s offices of Orange County, Florida; Fayette County, Kentucky; Niagara County, New York; and Oakland County, Michigan who help fight domestic violence.