"There is no limit to what we as women can accomplish," said Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, who quoted First Lady Michelle Obama.
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For many of these women, serving their communities is not just a job.
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"It just called to me," said Alameda Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez. "It was just being surrounded by people doing good work. I just wanted to be a part of that."
Sanchez is the first woman to be elected as Alameda County Sheriff. She thinks there is a need for more women to join public service.
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"It doesn't even matter how tall or short you are, because I am not even five feet tall," Sanchez said. "You can totally do it. You got to challenge yourself and never tell yourself you can't."
Others hope to mentor young women.
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"It was in my internship that I worked with a female firefighter who inspired me to know this was something I could do," said Mackenzie Whitton, a paramedic with the Alameda Fire Department. "We would love to see future generations coming forward. We have a few in the process of the next hiring group. So taking them on as mentors and letting know the challenges and how to best overcome those."
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There is a nationwide effort called the 30x30 initiative. It's designed to get at least 30% of the nation's police force to be women. Alameda wants to take that a step further. They want all public service agencies to have at least 30% be women. Whitton says it's possible if more women feel inspired like her.
"Anything you can dream of, you can do," she said. "Don't be afraid to pursue a new career field if it is something you don't see yourself reflected in, you can be that person and be that change you want to see."