Gotham Gal

MOUSE and the public school system

I got involved with MOUSE 15 years ago for many reasons.  The first is that seeing high school kids who had zero access to technology (aka a computer) so deeply resonated with me.  What kind of world would we be if the divide only continued to grow.  I thought about the effects on the economy, the mental health effects on these kids if they were unable to compete in a world that is built on technology and the world at large if my kids did not have the ability to connect and compete with kids from all different walks of life.  There was also the piece which is believe it was important for my kids to see us give back and make a change because with privelge comes the responsiblity to give back to communities that are not as priveleged as you. 

This past week I visiited at school in Chelsea that is fairly new.  Next year they will finally have a twelth grade class so the school just started three years ago.  The concept of this particular school is that lap tops are used to teach.  The good news is the principal gets it and seriously cares about each of her students.  She knows that educating on a laptop is not the end all be all but blended learning is.  How do you use technology to let each individual grow at their own pace yet teach the fundamentals at the same time. 

There are a few things that stuck me and frustrated me on the visit.  The kids who are part of the MOUSE squad are amazing.  They are all driven, passionate about technology and understand the value of what they are doing for their schools by being the tech team. They have become leaders in their school by keeping the system up and running.  As a unit they have formed their own community and provide educate to their own peers to keep their own systems up and running.  It is always inspiring to go visit one of the public schools in our city and see the next generation of students who are coming through the NYC school system.  The MOUSE kids are generally the ones that have risen to the top.  When you meet the other kids you do not always get that good feeling but sometimes a sense of frustration and sadness of how the system does not work.

I guess in the perfect world we would put the Department of Education in cruise control for a year while we took the entire thing apart.  Clearing out of layers of jobs that do not need to exist.  Rethinking the insanity of the Regent tests where kids are being forced to learn for the test so that the school gets a good ranking and funding.  How can we nurture creative thinking on anyones part when you have to educate to a test.  The money saved would go towards building systems where teachers can share their curriculums and success from the arts to math to science.  I'd put art and music into each school where each kid had to take one of those subjects every single day.  I'd also make sure that there was a good hour in the morning and hour in the afternoon for recess in elementary school and even through junior high school.  Exercise is key.  Maybe if many of those boys were allowed to run off steam early on they would not be tagged so easily as having ADD which starts off a series of issues down the line.  I'd rethink what we are teaching the next generation.  Why isn't computer science being taught in every seventh grade class just to begin the introduction to technology.  There should be a balance between liberal arts, math, science, technology, arts, music and physical education.  How else do kids grow and find the areas that they are passionate about if they don't have access to it.  The entire system needs to be blown up and rebuilt.  The money is there it is currently just is spent on unions and overhead that is not necessary.  Sad and true.

There was one kid in the class that really stuck with me.  He was a kid who had some special needs.  This was not a kid who could go home every night and memorize for a test.  BTW, nobody should.  Education is best when you are able to identify a problem, break it down and then put it back together.  This kid had just read the book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  I loved the book.  He had put together a video on the book with music and words that told the story of what he got from the book.  He was so proud of his work as he should be.  It was magical watching his eyes light up as we watched his book report.  This is not a kid who could sit down and write out a book report but the good thing is he was in a school with a solid staff and principal who applauded this type of work.  This is a kid who might not pass the Regents exam and be sent somewhere else to make sure he does.  What happens to these kinds of kids who don't make it because of this type of education, they end up dropping out and it doesn't take much to see their future. 

I am so proud of what MOUSE has built.  They are honestly saving one kid at a time and that totals up to 23,000 kids we have touched.  Figuring out how to work within the public schools and be a provider of a positive program that gets the kids who are turned on by technology to move forward into higher education is amazing.  They are also providing a huge solid to the Board of Education as there are no IT people in any of the schools.  MOUSE is training students to be those IT people and they are called the MOUSE squad.  These kids are making a change and are saving the system millions of dollars.  MOUSE squad is a value add and every single junior high and high school should be required to integrate the MOUSE squad team and curriculum into their schools.  It would be a win win for everyone. 

MOOC conversation

MOOC is an anacronym for Massive Open Online Courses.  Fred and I attended the meeting of the Presidential Council at Wesleyan this past week.  The topic of conversation was around MOOCs.  It was a fascinating conversation.

Wesleyan offers six courses through Coursera.  There are more than several of the best schools in the world offering courses on Coursera.  At a glance it appears that most of the courses offered are unique ones taught at each individual school vs the standard Economics 101.  Several thousand people signed up for each individual course taught by each of the Wesleyan professors although not all end up attending.  The numbers are still huge for attendance as in something over 20,000. 

What each professor learned was consistent.  You are teaching a course online so it is different than teaching to an audience that is sitting in the same room as you are.  The lectures need to be shorter.  Videos need to be made in advance.  The currriculum is a bit different.  The tests need to be true/false vs long essays.  You can start the conversation flowing but many times the crowd takes it to another level.  Some students find each other and meet in cafes where they live to discuss the class.  I thought that was incredibly cool. 

Michael Roth, who run Wesleyan is not only teaching a course on Coursera he is also taking classes from other Universities to educate himself about MOOCs. Impressive.

The million dollar question is how will MOOCs change the undergraduate experience.  Will these courses complement the curriculum already being taught at universities and colleges.  Will there be a time when you can get a degree from Coursera because each of these classes will become accredited although not the same as the ones taught in-between the four walls of an institution.  As online education evolves what will be the repercussions for a standard undergraduate experience. 

Personally I am don't believe that taking four years of classes online is ever going to be a substitute for a four year institution where you take classes and interact with professors and other students in person.  The social experience is unique and can be essential to the growth of an individual.  It isn't for everyone and certainly the cost of an education is huge.  To take on that kind of debt for many makes one wonder do the benefits outweigh the costs. No doubt going to college is a privilege.

What is great is that through MOOCs people around the globe who do not have the ability to leave their countries or have access to a fine education can take classes and learn.  That makes for a flatter globe and education is a good thing at every level. 

My father who is a sponge for knowledge is going to love Coursera.  I just told him about it this past weekend and I am a bit concerned he might not come up for air for a year.  Wouldn't it be great if through MOOCs we can engage every young person across the world that is hungry for knowledge and through the Internet we can provide it. 

24 hours in Los Angeles

I love Los Angeles.  I went to Los Angeles this past week to my nieces Grandparents and Special Persons day.  Our kids had the same thing at their school during their elementary years.  The schools are similar except we are on the east coast and they are on the west coast.  This is my niece Rubys last year before moving in to the middle school so I was the closer of this event. 

Happened to be her birthday the night I flew in so it was perfect.  We went to Mr Chows for dinner.  She loves Chinese food so I assume everyone figured it would be special.  We had a great time but honestly I can not believe people actually still go to Mr. Chows.  The food is just terrible.  There was not one thing worth eating.  The sate is neon orange, the duck is dried out, the spare ribs appear to have been cooked days ago and reheated, it is awful.  The worst part is that they charge an arm and a leg for this.  All they need to do is get in a new chef who can make the recipes which are just classic Chinese.  Alas.

In the morning we went to school.  I got the full on tour.  Got to see Rubys art work.  Love this piece.  Learning photoshop at this age is key. 

Ruby also wrote this piece which was picked up for a card that went out to the school.

This is a self portrait done with construction paper.  I love the description.  Ruby loves to be in the kitchen.

I sat through the performances of each grade.  They were short and sweet.  Brought me back to our kids earlier years.  Rubys was the last one. 

Really glad I came.  She's just a great kid. 

The History of the Internet

I spoke the other night at Aaron Cohens class.  He teaches at NYU and his class is called The History of the Internet.  Considering I lived through the history it was a perfect place to speak. 

When I walked into the classroom they were discussing a paper that Mary Meeker wrote in 1996.  She believed in certain companies to invest in although cautious.  She also was bold in her prediction of how many people would be using the Internet in 10 years.  She fell short by about 30%.  Ended up that the Internet actually turned out to be bigger than many thought. 

The class was also discussing social media.  Will Facebook still be as important ten years from now as today?  One kid said he would short Apple and be long on Facebook.  As always interesting to hear the perspective from a group of college students.

It is great that Aaron is teaching this class.  It doesn't seem that long ago to me and so I am not sure I would refer to it as history but it is.  In order to know where we go from here it is always important to understand the past. 

The first generation of entrepreneurs were different than the generation of entrepreneurs who rethought the web in 2006 and the next generation is going to be different again. Each generation grows up incorporating technology into their lives in different ways and that usage creates ideas on what could be next. 

I talked about what I wanted to do when I was graduating college.  What I would tell my 20 year old self if I went back again and about what road should I follow.  I basically told my life line story, the career I have had, the hiccups along the road and where I am today and what I do.  Questions and answers to the students and to Aaron.

All and all a really wonderful evening.  I am definitely looking forward to speaking to a room of bright eyed students again.  There really is nothing else quite like it. 

Competition is open for Global Apps to Empower and Educate Women Everywhere

I was delighted to be asked to judge a competition of apps that are being created to empower all young women in leadership and mentorship, jobs and entrepreneurship, education and conflict resolution.  

The challenge is being brought to us by Agnite Education, American Digital University, Applications for Good, BluWorld, Datawind, Equal Access International and the United Nations Office for Partnerships.  

Datawind CEO Suneet Tuli said, “Our goal is to feature apps on our tablets for young women in developing countries who seek to become leaders in their communities; to be mentored by some of the best leaders currently in business and government; to learn how to start businesses; find meaningful work; and gain a practical skill that can improve not only her life but the lives of those in her community.”

“Our challenge is to leverage the power of technology and bridge the digital divide,” UN Secretary General Moon said. “We need to do more to help all children and young people make the most of the opportunities provided by information and communications technology – especially all those who are still unconnected from the digital revolution,” UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon noted.

The competition will be held from now through April 30^th, 2013 with the winners announced in July 2013.  The judging criteria is based on 

• Relevance: Value addition to a young woman’s life
• Usability: Ease of Use/Intuitiveness/User Experience
• Innovation/Creativity: Originality of thought and execution
• Ability to Solve Problem Statement: How well the submission addresses the problem about informing, educating and empowering women.  

There are a few categories for each of the criteria.  

Leadership – Help young women to understand outstanding leadership traits, gain confidence, become leaders in their communities, run for political office, or coalesce others to aid and support others.

Mentorship – How can more experienced or more knowledgeable men and women help to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable young woman? True mentoring is more than just answering occasional questions or providing ad hoc help. It is also about ongoing relationships that provide learning, dialog, and challenges.

Jobs – There's got to be a better way to match jobs with women who are ready, willing and able to work. Create that app!

Entrepreneurship – Entrepreneurship has been defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". In other words, let's help women start businesses!

Education – Open, low-cost and no-cost education, training, certification and skills development is ubiquitous on the Internet. Create an app that can educate a young woman in a particular field or an app that will help women create greater peace, prosperity and cultural understanding in her life and community.

Out of the Box – Perhaps you have a great app submission that just doesn’t fit these categories. Tell us!

Submit your app here. 

• The top 5 applications submitted will be featured on the Ubislate series of tablet devices and at the BluWorld portal, and promoted through a global alliance of technology firms, foundations and United Nations organizations.
• Cash prizes of US$2,500 will be awarded to the winning app in each of the four categories (Leadership/Mentorship; Conflict Resolution; Education/Out of the Box; Entrepreneurship/Jobs).

 

 

 

Windowfarms at the Natural History Museum

New York's American Museum of Natural History just opened their current exhibit called Our Global Kitchen.  It educates everyone who will see it about how we grow food, transport food, the future of food and even the issues that are facing us now with global warming and more.  A really great exhibit.

Windowfarms is the center of all of it.  I highly recommend you walk into the museum at the entrance on 79th and Columbus.  You will see a 100 foot by 100 foot window containing over 70 vertical windowfarms.  They are growing lettuce, herbs and other products.  They are all using organic soil with eight pots per column, hoses to keep the water circulating and LED grow lights ....and they are beautiful. 

There is also a group of windowfarms in the center of the exhibit upstairs.  I am a huge fan of Windowfarms and I am also an investor.  You can buy a windowfarm including a subscription to plants that will be delivered to your door.  There is a pretty active community online that talks about the food that they are growing.  At the museum there is a kale that I had never had before which was delicious.

If you are visiting NYC with your kids over the holidays or live in NYC with young kids, I highly recommend getting over to the American Museum of Natural History and seeing the exhibit...and of course check out the Windowfarms. 

What is education going to look like in ten years?

There is no question that public education needs to change.  Each community is different, each county is different, each state is different, each kid is different and everyone should have the opportunity to get a good education in our public school system. 

I grew up in the public school system in the suburbs of Maryland.  Never thought that I wasn't getting a good education.  I was lucky that the suburb I grew up in had some of the top schools in the state and perhaps the country because our taxes could afford to pay the teachers well.  Not so much in other areas of the state as I have come to learn how public education works. 

Our kids grew up in NYC and went to private school although there are certainly some excellent public schools in NYC we chose to take the private route.  I see people that we know in different areas through out the country who send their kids to private school because they can and feel that is the only option.  In many ways the demise of the public education system is pushing families of means to opt for private school even in the suburbs of the country. That is not good.

The other night I met a woman who ended up teaching science in the private school system although she really wanted to teach in the public school.  There were no options available in the public school for her.  What happened to her happens to many young teachers.  They work in the school system for about four years and around the time they turn 27/28 they opt out.  Why?  She said the same thing that I have heard from others that have opted out.  After a few years of teaching, as much as they enjoy the process and interaction with the kids and believe they are making a change they wonder how they can continue doing the same job over and over for the next twenty years.  Makes you wonder about the union and the teachers who have been given tenure without having to innovative or be creative after locking up their job for life. 

The system and the unions need to change.  Does it make sense that the oldest teacher in the room always gets priority just for being around the longest.  I actually like the concept of having teachers come in for a 5 year stint, making change, being connected to the world at large as they are young and thinking out of the box and can connect better with the kids.  Those teachers could easily create curriculum that makes sense for the community they are working in.  Then once 5 years are up they can opt in or opt out.  If they opt out how do we help those teachers enter the working world?  I don't know the answer but certainly the ability for them to teach and be creative in a virtual world might give them another option.  Yet I do believe that the unions ways of the past make no sense to disrupt a stuck in the mud system to move forward. When we have access to technology every second of the day to believe that standing in the front of the class room with a black board make sense is insane. 

What will education look like in ten years?  There is a place for charter schools, there is a place for innovative public schools and there is a place for more artistic progressive schools.  Each kid thinks different and has a different set of skills that they can hone.  One thing I do believe is that physical education, arts and home economics needs to return to the system.  How?  Not sure of that either but I believe we are just starting to see the disruption of education from a brand new set of thinkers who are using the web as their platform.  The next ten years in education will be very interesting and my gut is the union will eventually have no choice but to get with a new program. 

 

The US is still the land of opportunity

Both of our daughters, Jessica and Emiliy go to Wesleyan University.  I am a huge fan of the institution.  The kids they have brought home a slew of friends that are all intellectually curious, confident and think globally.  From my view, the education there is academically challenging yet the arts are so strong that there is a esoteric vibe that runs through the school.  A unique place as every educational institution is.

Michael Roth is the President of Wesleyan.  This past weekend he wrote a piece in the book section of the New York TImes reviewing a book called College, What It Was, Is and Should Be by Andrew Debalnco. He wrote about the book but commented on something that I have always felt that college was about, a place where you grow through developing your own sense of responsibility, thoughts, community, learning from your peers and educating your mind.  The book looks at the history of how our colleges were originally versed in the views that I have always felt but have turned in something else and why.  Particularly as we are entering an era of haves and have-nots when it comes to getting a college education because of the costs this book is hitting on an interesting subject.

Roth writes that "selective college and universities ought to be shaping campus communities that maximize each undergraduates ability to go beyond his or her comfort zone to learn from the most unexpected sources.  To do so, and to deliver on the promise of our deals, we must maintain robust financial aid programs and end the street rise of tuition.  If we're to become more affordable adn more responsible, we must replace spending for cachet with investments in student learning."

I couldn't agree more with his thoughts.  I am going to read the book that he reviewed and I would suggest anyone who is starting a company to disrupt the education industry that this is a book worth checking out.  The author is a faculty member at Columbia University.

So why did I call this post "the US is still the land of opportunity"?  Everything above makes us all fearful that we will no longer be able to see people who come from nothing make a change in their lives through education in the US.  We built this country on those values.  Well, Wesleyan just graduated a person like that and his name is Kennedy Odede and he delivered the welcome speech at the commencement ceremony in May.  It is absolutely worth the read.

Today, I stand before you as the first person from Africa’s largest slum to graduate from an American university.
For most of my life, I never imagined that one day I would be standing here.
For me, Wesleyan is HOPE.

You, the class of 2012, and my time at Wesleyan have changed me forever.

I grew up in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, where more than a million people live in an area the size of Central Park—without sewage systems, roads, running water, or access to basic rights like health care and education.

I was the oldest of eight children in a family that could not afford food, much less school fees. In Kibera, I dreamed of many things: food to eat, clean water to drink, safety from the violence, and relief from oppression that surrounded me.

Today, I want to tell you three stories about hope.

One day when I was seven years old, my mom and I set out early in the morning with $3 in her pocket that we had saved over many months. My mother wanted to enroll me into an informal school in the slum. As we walked through Kibera, I went on about learning to read, growing up to be a teacher or a doctor, and my mom told me, gently, not to get my hopes too high.

When we reached the school, I was smiling from ear to ear, so excited about the bright future ahead. The principal told us that while they did have open spaces, the school fees were $10 per year—not $3. My mom, a woman of great pride, begged and pleaded but had no luck.

As we left, I saw the children playing in their bright school uniforms, and as I looked down at my torn clothes, tears began to stream down my face. I wanted to be them so badly—I saw opportunity in front of me but knew that I could not be part of it. My mom told me that she was sorry. She had tried her best.
Love gives us hope, and none of us got here today on our own. Throughout our journeys many people have shown us this kind of love and dedication—which in turn fuels the hope and love that we share with the world. Today my brother, sister and best friend came all the way from Kibera to celebrate with us. I want to thank them for being a part of my journey.

My second story.

When I was 18, I had a job in a factory. My work started at 7 and ended at 5, with a 2-hour walk each way. I could not afford the 10 cents needed for transport.
I performed hard labor—dangerous work-for $1.50 per day. One day I realized, this was going to be my whole life.

When I arrived home to the slum that evening, I was horrified to discover that my friend Alvin had hanged himself—tired of living a life confined to poverty with only one possible goal: survival.

This was a moment that changed me. I did not want to waste my life.
With twenty cents from my job, I bought a soccer ball and started a movement of young people fighting for social justice in Kibera. While I was growing this movement, I met a Wesleyan student studying abroad in Nairobi. She thought I should apply to a school I’d never heard of, and without knowing what would happen, I said yes!

I was awarded the Bob and Margaret Patricelli scholarship.

My mom was so sad to see me leave—but then I translated the cost of a scholarship to Wesleyan into the numbers of cows that you could buy for the same amount.

As you can imagine, it was a lot of cows. Then, she almost picked me up and put me on the plane herself.
When I first arrived at Wes, I was totally confused. Luckily—I met all of you at the freshman orientation.
I did not know how to work a printer, use a shower, and could not understand how money could be stored on a little piece of plastic known as “Wes Card.”

During the first week of classes, I would furiously sprint from class to the dining hall, determined to be the first in line. One day, a classmate saw me and asked, “Kennedy, why are you running?” I explained that I wanted to get there before the food got finished. He said, “Here the food doesn’t get ‘finished,’ Usdan is open until lunch time ends.” What struck me the most about the class of 2012 was the kindness exhibited in explanations like this. Never before in my life had I felt valued. I always felt that growing up poor was something to be ashamed of, and at first I was scared to talk about my past. But then the class of 2012 showed me this kindness on many occasions.

I had arrived at an incredible place.

I said yes, AND my life changed.

I believe we will only live in a better world if we are willing to take risks to make it a reality, only if we are willing to say
YES.

My fellow graduates, I hope that we continue to say YES today, tomorrow and throughout our lives.

Finally, when we dare to hope, we create more hope in the world, which is my last story.

In my freshman dorm room at 200 Church, I founded the nonprofit Shining Hope for Communities with the help of another Wes student, Jessica Posner. Through Shining Hope we built the Kibera School for Girls—the slum’s first tuition-free school for girls.

Shining Hope grew because the entire Wesleyan community embraced it: from my mentor Professor Rob Rosenthal, who first told me, in true Wesleyan fashion, that I should “go for it,” to every Wesleyan student who has ever bought a bracelet.

Wesleyan students, professors, faculty and alumni fueled this change in my community, and SHOFCO has grown to build a health clinic, clean water, and community services that will reach over 30,000 people this year.
Together we are building hope across the world.

My dream is to attend a Wesleyan commencement 13 years from now, and sit where our families are today, to watch a graduate of the Kibera School for Girls accept a Wesleyan diploma, proving yet again that it does not matter where you come from—only where you want to go.

Hope! This is ALL our stories.
Wesleyan took a chance NOT just on me, BUT on ALL of us.

Wesleyan took our hopes—both for ourselves and for the world—seriously. Wesleyan told us that these hopes matter, that they mean something. Our teachers have given us the knowledge to ensure that we keep these hopes alive, even when the world responds with cynicism and challenges.

With our Wesleyan education, our dreams have the power to shape our communities, bringing the world to life through us.
Class of 2012, as we graduate today, our hopes are officially unleashed.

Congratulations Class of 2012— or as we say in Kenya, hongera!

I want to ask my fellow graduates for a promise. Please repeat after me:

“Today I promise
To use my Wesleyan education
To champion hope throughout the world.”

Thank you.

 

 

 

A series of Entrepreneur assemblies

At our kids high school (although Josh is the only one there at this point) has an assembly every week.  Each assembly is a little different.  One could be a poet reading their work, another could be an activist telling their story, another could be something that a group of students formed.  They are meant to be informative and thought provoking. 

Last year I said I would put on four assemblies over the course of the following school year around entrepreneurs.  I wanted the kids to see young people who have embarked on the journey of being an entrepreneur.  How do you do it, how do you take an idea and run with it, how do you get financing and what does a start-up really mean. 

I did the last series this week.  Our first guest was David Karp who started Tumblr.  David also grew up in NYC and before dropping out actually attended a High School that everyone in the audience is familiar with.  All the kids know Tumblr too.  David is one of the most earnest human beings and his story is inspiring.  His parents knew that he would find himself and staying the "normal" road of graduating high school and then going to college was not the right path for him.  He is lucky his parents supported his desires.  He told the kids not to do what he did.  The kids ate him up and asked many questions.  Afterward the girls swarmed the stage and so did the boys.  He was a rockstar that day.

Our second guest was Phineas Barnes who is currently principal at First Round Capital but in his former life he was involved from the get-go in the start-up of And1 Sneakers and also created the first fitness game for XBox and Playstation 2.  I was out of town for that one so Fred moderated for me.  Needless to say the kids ate that one up because they could relate.  Sneakers..come on!

The third guest was Gabe Stulman who has earned himself the title restaurant mogul.  He owns and opened Joseph Leonard, Jeffreys, Fedora and Perla.  He talked about his love for hip-hop music and that went over well.  How he put himself through college as a bartender.  His love for community, eating and life.  As Josh said afterwards, Gabe killed it. 

Last was a group of women.  I had a hard time finding a single woman entrepreneur that would connect to the kids when she spoke about her company so instead I had a group of four.  I think we all had more fun on the stage than the kids.  Kellee Kahlil of Lover.ly, Caren Maio of Nestio, Amanda Steinberg of Dailyworth and Amanda Hesser of Food52.  They talked about how they started out through high school into college and the working world, the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur, how hard it really is and the reality of the highs and lows, and their passions about their businesses.  What really made an impact were a few things.  Each of them said if they weren't doing this they wouldn't know what else they would do, their biggest fear is if they don't succeed at this then they would have to get a real job. 

For me, I loved hearing each entrepreneur tell their story.  Their passion comes across loud and clear.  The group of women were near and dear to my heart and watching the young women in the audience nod their head and smile was the best part. 

Speaking to Simmons Women

I graduated from Simmons College, an all-womens school in Boston many moons ago.  I went to Simmons for a handful of reasons but the main one is that the school is focused on careers.  I knew that when I walked out the door, I would have a job and trust me nobody else was going to be paying my bills.  

Socially I didn't love the school.  I loved freshman year and truly lost psych on the women I met as time went on.  When I went abroad for my Junior year, I came back with a different head.  This past Friday night, I spoke to a group of Simmons women who were sophomores, seniors, recently graduated and older alumnae to discuss my long off the beaten track career and my time at Simmons. 

I haven't been in a room of women like that for years.  Janet Buyers Russo, who sits on the board of Simmons, interviewed me.  Four short questions and then we opened it up to the audience which I really like.  We talked about risks I have taken, recognizing opportunities and mentoring other women. 

She asked me if my experience of going to an all-womens college influenced my perspective and choices in life.  In all fairness, she sent me the questions in advance so I had some time to ponder.  This particular one was the one I thought about the most.  I spoke to my friend about it and she wasn't so sure that the circumstances of all women made that much of an impact at the college level.  Did being in that environment make me a better negotiator, give me sharper elbows, make me be indifferent to the other men who I was competing against as I went forward in my career or just be fiercer.  I also had that conversation with someone who came earlier in the week to interview me for a book she is writing about women who have broken the glass ceiling.  She is finding that there is a constant among many of those women and it starts at a young age. 

I answered that I did believe there is something about competing all day long in a classroom with only women and that is certainly special and rare yet the truth is I think I have always been the way I am and maybe that part of my path confirmed the way I operate.   

The favorite take away was this.  The kids that were still in college wanted to know about how they perhaps get into the start-up industry or even the importance of getting jobs in the field that they majored in.  I said that going to college is about expanding your mind, forcing you to look at things differently, having an amazing experience and meeting a lot of different people so regardless of what you have majored in, it is not imperative that they find a job in that field unless they are set on it.  Jane, who had interviewed me, asked the question to all the alums...there were probably 25 of them there if not more...lets see a show of hands on how many of you are not in the same field that you started out in after college?  I kid you not, almost every single alum raised their hand.  So there you have it, there were some amazing women in that room and it is all about the road we travel as the dots always just seem to connect.