Laura and Lisa Kittleman, the mother-daughter real estate duo, came to Mt. Hebron on March 22 during Viking Time to help empower students. The two women have been vital to the real estate industry, consistently being some of the top producing agents in the state. The Kittleman Group was given the title of #8 Keller Williams team in the Maryland and D.C. area for 2016. The group came to speak with students to share some of their experiences and offer advice on how to become successful.

In honor of National Women’s History Month, Laura Kittleman talked about what it was like to be a woman when she was in high school.

She tried to find jobs in the newspaper industry until she realized that men and women were not treated the same way. When she tried to search for jobs for women, the jobs listed were all related to house cleaning. On the other hand, jobs listed for men included engineering and science positions. Laura Kittleman did not let the unspoken rules of society get to her and ultimately rose to success.

Laura Kittleman’s message of perseverance resonated with sophomore Blaire Ridgely. “Women were not treated with as much respect as men. Women could work just as hard as men and still not receive the same amount of recognition,” she said.

“Laura and Lisa Kittleman really inspired me to keep pushing towards my goals, even with the disadvantages and prejudices of being a woman,” Ridgely added.

In order for Laura Kittleman to overcome the expectations of society, she developed keys to success that she and Lisa Kittleman conveyed to Mt. Hebron students. They mentioned that people need to believe in themselves and work hard. They challenged the students of Mt. Hebron to start the “66 day challenge.” It takes approximately 66 days to get into the habit of learning to do something new.

“I think having the habit of working hard and being confident can really help a person,” freshman Jordan Maloney said. “By being the person who gets her work done and achieves her goals, you can influence others to do the same.”

Laura and Lisa Kittleman also spoke about how they got to where they wanted to be. Instead of focusing on the negatives, they focused on persevering until the end.

Sophomore Ainsley Daniel agreed with this sentiment. “People never realize how much your mindset can affect your work. If you just keep pushing through to get to your dreams, you will eventually get there, just like the Kittlemans said,” Daniel said.

The teachings of the women have certainly influenced the students of Mt. Hebron and have inspired everyone never to back down from what they want to achieve.