Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner Synchrony. Go to Synchrony's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

In 2018, Synchrony was once again awarded a place on the Working Mother 100 Best Companies list! We're honored to receive this award for fostering an inclusive environment that is women and parent-friendly through our benefits, flexible work arrangements, and mentoring programs. This year, our Working Mother of the Year is Tia, who is an employee that demonstrates our company values every day by being a great parent and great worker. Read on to learn how Tia has been able to overcome personal and professional obstacles to achieve her ambitions with Synchrony.

Tia is no stranger to hard work. As a single mother of 4 children, she had her first child in high school at the age of 16 and was living on her own by the age of 17. After graduating high school, on time and with honors, she attempted to work full-time, go to college full-time and raise a child on her own – becoming drained and burned out. Understandably, something had to give, so her schooling took the backburner while establishing her career. After a while, she became comfortable with her career progression and didn't feel the need to go back to school, until it was time for her son to go to high school. She was determined to show him (and the rest of her children) that no matter what, you need to keep going! Ultimately, she was proud to complete her degree in May 2015, prior to her son graduating from high school in May 2016. She is now working on her Master's Degree (utilizing the Synchrony tuition reimbursement program), her son is going into his 3rd year of college, and she is raising a current high school Junior, a 5th and a 6th grader.

Tia consistently strives to outperform, overdeliver, take risks and build trust. She is a firm believer that no matter how hard she thinks things are, there is always someone out there who has it harder and who has made it further. She also takes pride in serving as a mentor for peers, team members, friends, associates, teens, and adolescents – from next career moves to relationship advice to financial guidance. She says that the greatest part of being a mentor is having the ability to help someone accomplish what they are seeking, with trust built through transparent and candid conversations. She is currently the President for our Synchrony Toastmasters Club, and continuously encourages other colleagues to join to enhance their leadership, communication and speaking skills.

We're glad to have this working mom as part of our Synchrony family!