T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Panelists Sydney Grewell and Tiffany Beadle listen to Melisa Fonseca during the Marshalltown Community College International Women’s Day panel yesterday. They were joined by Maria Acosta and Maria Gonzalez and answered questions from the in-person and online audience.

For more than 100 years, March 8 has been recognized — sometimes unofficially in history — as International Women’s Day. Recognizing the occasion, and with the holiday falling on Sunday this year, Marshalltown Community College hosted a panel of five women community leaders on Thursday.

The panelists included four from Marshalltown — MPACT Advocate Tiffany Beadle, Marshalltown City Councilor and Alta Vista Real Estate Broker/Owner Melisa Fonseca, Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice Community (MMJ) Organizer Maria Gonzalez and Marshall County Public Health Director Sydney Grewell; and from Des Moines, Maria Acosta, an MMJ community organizer.

After each woman introduced herself, they answered questions from online attendees and the audience, which almost packed the room.

Beadle, who spent some time as a law enforcement officer, realized mental health was not receiving the proper amount of attention. She applied for an MPACT (Marshalltown Police and Community Team) advocate position to help people whose problems fall outside the scope of law enforcement.

The first question directed to her was about what her typical day looked like. Beadle responded by saying each day is different.

“I can promise you I have not seen the same thing twice, so it’s hard to say what a normal day looks like,” she said. “There is no such thing as a normal day in my field.”

Gonzalez said she has always been community-minded, and also helped found Immigrant Allies and co-chaired the 2025 Marshalltown Area United Way campaign.

“I love my community. I love serving my community and building relationships,” she said. “I believe the more you give back, the more love and appreciation grows.”

Fonseca was asked what caused her to choose real estate for her career. She said it took time to get to where she is and started with earning a bachelor’s degree in real estate and financial management from the University of Northern Iowa. As Fonseca progressed through her college years, she began thinking about topics which really interested her.

“That opened the door,” she said. “It’s a broad industry. There’s lending. There’s the sales part. There’s an investor . . . there’s just so many. I ended up getting a job as a transaction coordinator for a team, and that opened the door to me shadowing realtors, and seeing what impact and freedoms came with the career, along with the responsibilities as well.”

An online question asked the women what challenges they have faced as a leader. Fonseca was the first to answer, telling the audience even though she had the education and references, she was not getting hired by her desired businesses. That turned out to be a good thing.

“I ended up finding a new career, a new passion,” she said. “Doors close in certain places. . . . Looking back, I’m very thankful for those doors closing on me, honestly.”

Beadle said the high homeless rate in Marshalltown is a challenge, especially since there is not a shelter. Working in the field she does, she acknowledges being a woman can be challenging, as some men might not want to be helped by a woman.

“Sometimes because I look the way I look, I’m not going to be taken seriously,” she said. “Sometimes I have to have an officer with me, [telling them] ‘Hey, what’s she’s saying . . . she’s not just talking. She wants you to get the help that you need. She’s not trying to be like your spouse.’ In this field we do deal with a lot of men who are struggling, and maybe a woman was part of their downfall. I walk in with one foot out the door. I walk in and remind them ‘I am here for you.’ I try not to take things personally when someone is in a crisis.”

Grewell said being a young woman in her field has been challenging, as some people do not believe she is qualified.

“There’s some people who have been doing my job for longer than I’ve been alive,” she said. “. . . That doesn’t make me less qualified to do my job. There’s things that have happened recently in Marshall County that have not happened anywhere in the state. We were learning along with everybody else. My counterparts in other counties were shocked at how things went.”

Gonzalez said a significant challenge for her was being a young, married mother in college. She and her husband decided Gonzalez raising the baby was going to be the best course of action.

“I just don’t want to be a stay-at-home mom,” she said. “I loved my baby and felt the guilt of leaving her behind. So, I started finding work as a childcare provider at the YMCA, and they would let me bring my daughter with me . . . Then I started going in to early headstart and they would allow me to bring my child with me . . . Then I had two children I had to carry along, and I was very lucky to have the jobs that I had which gave me an opportunity to bring my children with me.”

The opportunity to volunteer with some non-profit organizations made it possible for Gonzalez to build relationships and show she had the ability to do the work even though she did not have a degree.

Acosta, originally from Mexico, went to a community college, and finding someone to take care of her child while she attended classes was a challenge. She said speaking English is still a regular challenge she faces.

“I’ve lived here for 30-some years, and still it’s a challenge talking English,” Acosta said. “But life is full of challenges. It’s part of life, so don’t get scared.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.