an afternoon with fantastic women

Yesterday afternoon we all attended the Women's Leadership Symposium on campus.  A 1955 Whitman alum, Colleen Seidelhuber Willoughby, has been putting together this symposium for 25 years.

What an inspiring afternoon---to just sit and listen to three accomplished, funny women, who shared with us their stories, their challenges, their passion.

Dawn Trudeau is one of the co-owners of the women's professional basketball team in Seattle (NATIONAL CHAMPS!!), the Seattle Storm.  Bobbe Bridge is a former State Supreme Court justice and now runs the Center for Children and Youth Justice.  Barbara Earl Thomas is an artist and writer, who is the current director of the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle. 

We heard about the importance of civic service, gathering mentors around you in all phases of life, taking risks, the value of pushing yourself and overcoming fear.  All three of these women encouraged all of us to "be at the table" with our valuable opinions, perspectives, ideas on conflict resolution and problem solving skills.  

I liked the quote Dawn Trudeau left us with: "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage"