American actress Susan Dey, who is well-known for her roles in movies and television, once told a story that illustrates the power of role models. In interviews, she said she met a lot of women who said she encouraged them to become lawyers.

Dey's influence stems from her powerful television persona as Donna Jensen in "Eight Is Enough," in which she played a lawyer with poise and competence. Viewers were inspired to see women in leadership positions in the legal industry by this character, who was one of the few positive representations of female lawyers at the time. Like sowing seeds in a garden, Dey's on-screen persona sowed an idea in the minds of numerous young people.

This quote is significant because it considers how representation and the media can influence goals and professional decisions. Viewers were motivated to pursue similar careers after witnessing an individual they looked up to achieve success in that field. For women, who have historically been underrepresented in some industries, this emphasizes the value of having diverse role models in all fields.

By motivating others and changing societal views on gender roles in the workplace, Susan Dey's career as an actress demonstrates the impact one individual can have outside of their immediate field of work.