Happy International Women’s Day!

At SAE Brussels we have many inspiring women, both in our student and staff community. Today we celebrate each one of them.

One person, in particular, must be mentioned. In the leadership team of SAE Brussels we have a Campus Manager. This person keeps SAE Brussels in check and maintains its reputation as a leading audiovisual school in Belgium. 

Occupying this post is Cristina Trifu. An inspiring leader & friend to all staff and students at SAE Brussels. But most of all a woman. We asked her questions related to International Women’s Day (IWD). Please read the answers below.

​​What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

“Having grown up in a country with (at the time) a communistic regime, International Women’s (rights) Day was portrayed as and combined with Mother’s Day. It meant celebrating women as mothers and wives and acknowledging their work as caretakers and in the household. Of course, we had books with Simone de Beauvoir and Simone Veil in the house. My family tried to go beyond the rules, but they could only do so much in the context.

Later on, while studying law and political sciences during the post-communist era, I started to explore the concept deeper. I understood it was about the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women.

For me, IWD means allowing women to have the same possibilities and compensation they would get if they were men. It means not passing judgment and not having a diminishing attitude about their career and life choices. It means not deciding in their places. It also means allowing women to learn, develop, strive, care, and celebrate their successes just as much as men can. 

IWD should also be a day for self-reflection on what a person has achieved and how well they are doing. It is a day to remind themselves of how respected, cared for, and appreciated they are at their workplace, at home, and in all situations they encounter. And, of course, what they can do to make things better for themselves and other women.

It is a day on which we get to celebrate women’s achievements. We also get to thank the women from different decades who have been fighting for their rights. We get to thank them for the privileges that we have today. IWD is also a day to connect with our male counterparts for having always supported and cherished us. Together we will celebrate unity and equality.”

What does being a woman mean to you? 

“Being a woman means being able to combine strength and femininity both in personal and professional life. It means remaining objective and not letting emotions fuel our decisions, all that while contextualizing and maintaining compassion. 

Sometimes it means a battle between one’s wishes and desires, and the “best thing to do.”  

At work, it sometimes means being the only woman in the room. It means adapting to certain types of conversations, to reach business objectives. 

It also means finding and sometimes claiming your place in an organisation or relationship. If it becomes challenging, the organisation or relationship might not be the right fit for you as a woman.

I am fortunate enough to be acknowledged for my work, position, and results professionally and personally, for which I am grateful. I am, however, aware that this is not the case for many other women. Being a woman can sometimes be a struggle as well. 

As a white person (with an Eastern European upbringing), being a woman is a privilege and a joy. I enjoy much love and respect from the people I surround myself with, not necessarily only as a woman but as a human being.”

In conclusion, we still have a long way to go to get where we want to be. We are here to fight, and thanks to days like these, we can make women’s voices heard. Thank you to all the inspiring women who show us how and lead us on the right path. Without other women having  stood up at some point, we would have never even gotten to where we are today.