In this paper I describe some of my professional experiences as a female, both as a graduate student and throughout my career. My own experience was unique because I began graduate school a few months after arriving in the U.S. with limited knowledge of English in a very competitive and demanding program , in addition to the fact that I was a faculty wife in that department. A major dilemma in achieving a successful academic career involves finding an optimal balance between the demands of a career and those of motherhood. In earlier years the burden of compromises dictated by the needs of children customarily fell on the shoulders of women, and this often delayed the development of their careers. This has changed some over the years as many couples share child-rearing responsibilities, but remains a hurdle for many professional women. While institutional biases and conflicting demands still produce special challenges to women who strive to make significant contributions to their fields, such women are more in charge of their careers today than they were 30 or 40 years ago. But in my experience, the achievement of contributing significantly to knowledge in the field, for both men and for women, involves quite a few sacrifices.