Major League Baseball and sports entities everywhere celebrated National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, Feb. 7, a day dedicated to recognizing the trailblazing women on the playing surface and behind the scenes.

As part of this celebration of equal opportunity in sports, MLB annually hosts a group of college-aged women to attend educational workshops, panels and networking sessions with employees of the Commissioner’s Office, Major League Clubs and Minor League Clubs to develop the next generation of powerful women in the industry.

Former Youth Academy athlete turned part-time coach Gigi Garcia applied for the program and was among the small group selected to attend the event at MLB’s New York City headquarters.

Garcia credits Jesse Malone, Academy manager of outreach and education programs, for encouraging her to apply for what would eventually be a uniquely impactful experience.

What was most important to Garcia upon her return to DFW was not to share her individual experience but to share the lessons she learned, amplifying the powerful words of MLB’s leaders to reach women who could not attend, including the young girls she coaches at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy.

With a star-studded list of panelists and special guests, the influence in the room was palpable. With 20-plus speakers from various disciplines, Garcia identified her areas of interest as Baseball Operations, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Human Resources and the Arizona Fall League.

“My experience in New York at MLB’s NGWSD event was incredible,” Garcia said. “I was able to hear from some amazing women that work for MLB, who all play a significant role in the sports entertainment industry.”

Garcia was able to take away several lessons through candid conversation, lessons she’d like women around the world to hear.

In her human resources workshop, Diane Cuddy, MLB’s vice president of HR, shared with Garcia and others that one of the most challenging parts of her career is striking a balance between family and the pursuit of professional success.

Garcia believes all women face this challenge one way or another, be it as a student-athlete, college students working two part-time jobs or mothers taking their kids to and from practices outside an already busy 9 to 5 career.

With these challenges comes the opportunity to unite women as they search for that balance while continually proving the desire for success will always triumph over struggles. In Cuddy’s words, “role models are genderless,” meaning there is no limit to who a woman can inspire.

The business and baseball operations panels also provided unique points of view from an array of influential women in the league, from MLB senior staff photographer Mary DeCicco and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation CEO Nichol Whiteman to Mets director of Major League operations Elizabeth Benn and Donna Petersen, league administrator for the Arizona Fall League.

With specified interest in the Arizona Fall League, Garcia was particularly excited to hear from Petersen, who shared her untraditional journey to a career in baseball and the high-level work she executes daily, like player preparation and contracts, roster configuration, AFL merchandise and game-day operations.

Garcia said Petersen, who came from a background in live theater and education, is an inspiration to her and women everywhere that success in any career, no matter the prior experience, is possible with dedication.

“These amazing women are paving the way into the world of baseball, impacting the sport just like the women who started the first Girls Professional Baseball League in 1943,” Garcia said. To be a successful woman in the industry, she learned that you must “Be a visionary thinker, be comfortable with the uncomfortable, be open-minded and speak up and be uniquely you.”

When asked what’s next for women in baseball, the Dodgers’ Whiteman spoke confidently— women who have already made it in the sports industry must pause to let in the next generation.