Today we celebrate Naila Prieto-Duval! YWCA Yakima is on a mission to empower women. #52women52weeks was created to celebrate and highlight the amazing women & #SHEros in the #yakimavalley. We are proud to share more about Naila..
What is one word that describes you perfectly?
Calm
What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
It takes the same amount of energy to hate someone as it does to like someone. It’s easier to be kind, so be kind. Let us lift each other up. The world is already more favorable for men than it is for women. Women need to be eager to mentor, help, uplift, and encourage other women to help level the playing field. Look to history to see how far women have come in such a short period of time, but women have so much further to go to have equal rights, equal pay and equal opportunities as men do.
I also believe one of women’s most important traits is that we are naturally nurturing. We naturally want to care for everyone and everything, so follow your instincts. However, for us to do this successfully we need to make sure we take care of ourselves too.
What makes you happy?
Sharing a good meal with my family and loved ones, dancing, learning new things and exploring new places. I think we are happiest when we are at a place in our lives where we can be generous with our time, gifts and talents.
How do you measure success?
Success is measured by small achievements towards a goal. It’s important to never give up and be willing to fail many times in working towards one’s goal.
What historical event inspires you the most?
On November 8, 2008 Obama was elected President. I was at the Odegard Library at the University of Washington that evening. I could hear crowds of people marching coming and going from inside the building. Then out of nowhere a large group of students ran into the library and started cheering. I knew at that moment the election was called for President Obama. The whole building was roaring with applause and some sort of chanting but all I could really remember about that night was how I felt. I was witnessing the power of democracy, the hunger for change for my Country, and I believed in hope. That night re-awakened my youthful outlook in life that we can be anything we set our minds to and we have the power to positively change the world.
What is your favorite quote and why?
In my favorite quote the language used by Roosevelt over a century ago would be more inclusive today.
‘It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
‘The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.’ – Theodore Roosevelt
This quote motivates me every single time I read it and has recently helped me get past harsh criticism. As an elected official and board member, where meetings are broadcast on social media, I endure a lot of negative criticism. This quote reminds me to reevaluate whatever I may be going through in that moment and to believe in myself.