I'm a first-generation funeral director. The industry is facing a labor shortage and young women are its future.

• Allyse Worland is a first-generation funeral director licensed in Indiana and Kentucky.
• More young women are now enrolling in mortuary schools as the industry faces a labor shortage.
• Millennials and Gen Z women will shape the future of funeral services, Worland says.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Allyse Worland, 30, a funeral director licensed in Indiana and Kentucky, who owns Have License Will Travel Continuing Education Provider and is a partner at Continuing Vision. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was nine years old when I experienced the first tragic loss in my family.

It was heartbreaking, and I wondered, "How can I make this situation better?"