At Extra Space Storage, we’re fortunate to work with many great women who inspire us through their career growth and their accomplishments and ambitions outside of work. Megan Robertson, an IT Technician at our Salt Lake City office, is one of those women!
Robertson joined the IT team at Extra Space Storage just over a year ago after making a career change from zookeeping. In just a short time with the company, she’s already been promoted from a Tier I to a Tier II technician. When Robertson’s not busy building her skills and career in IT, she’s out on the field playing for the Utah Falconz, a full-tackle semi-professional women’s football team in the Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC).
“I have spent my whole life doing things I was told I couldn’t because I was a girl,” shared Robertson. “One of my earliest memories is being told I couldn’t play football when I was six and then having to sit on the sidelines heartbroken, watching all three of my older brothers get to play. But after that moment, I haven’t let it stop me again. I pursued what I wanted, regardless of whether it was for girls or not, but there were many uphill battles along the way that almost made me give up.”
When Robertson decided to study engineering in college, she was one of five girls in her introduction class of over one hundred students. Later, in her career as a zookeeper, she found herself in another field with a long history of a primarily male workforce. And statistics show that only 24% of computing jobs are held by women, with women leaving the tech industry at a 45% higher rate than men.
“I have never let being a woman stop me from achieving what I wanted, but I also had a father and three older brothers who never treated me differently because I was a girl,” Robertson recalls. “I realize now that not all girls are so lucky. Some girls need to see other women out in the world doing the impossible to know they can do it too. As soon as I moved to Salt Lake City and found out about the Utah Falconz, I knew, without a doubt, I was going to play. I wanted to be on that field to show all the little girls that football isn’t just for the boys.”
Recently, against all odds, the Falconz won the Pacific Conference Championship in San Diego, CA. They were the fourth seed in the playoff tournament and went up against two undefeated teams after barely making the playoffs with a 3-3 record. This weekend, June 24-26, the Falconz will face the Texas Elite in Dallas, TX, for the national championship!
“I have never been more proud to be a Falcon,” said Robertson. “But we still have a lot of work to do, and unfortunately, playing football is expensive, so we also have a lot of fundraising to do.”
All Utah Falconz players must pay their own team fees to play, and the team works hard to fundraise for the players who struggle to cover those fees. Fundraising and donations go toward renting fields for practices and games, concessions, travel expenses, team equipment, and more. In return for the generosity of sponsorships and donations, the team takes action on its mission to “lift, inspire, teach, and empower women through football.”
The Utah Falconz partner with many charities, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, Girls on the Run, the Utah Girls Football League, and the Mascot Miracles Foundation. They also volunteer for special events brought forward by teammates or fans who have been affected by something significant in their lives. This includes things like partnering with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, which was brought to their attention after a player was diagnosed with MS and had to transition from player to coach, or suicide prevention after a teammate’s family member lost their life to suicide.
“I think everyone should get the chance to play any sport, regardless of gender or financial status, and I want to do everything in my power to make sure there are equal opportunities for everyone in my community,” Robertson concluded. “The Falconz team is made up of so many incredible women who sacrifice so much to be a part of something bigger than themselves. These are wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters, who are all working to pave the way for the next generation of little girls to know they can do whatever they put their mind to. That being a girl does not inherently make them less, and that nothing is ‘just for the boys.’”
We’re proud to have Megan Robertson as one of our amazing Extra Space Storage teammates and happy to support her and her teammates as they take on the WNFC national championship this weekend. Go Falconz!
The Utah Falconz are a registered 501(c)3 under the governance of the Women’s Excellence 4 Life Foundation. Visit their website to find more information about sponsorships, donate through GoFundMe, and for details to watch the live championship event.
