Yesterday was a tremendous day at Wellesley. We launched the first Women in Public Service Institute—the flagship program of the new Women in Public Service Project—and, as part of the Opening Ceremonies, we welcomed to campus Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’69 and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ’59. (You can see the video of their remarks on YouTube.)
Our Opening Ceremonies received quite a bit of press, including stories from ABC, The Boston Globe, and many others.
I was honored to be among so many smart, talented leaders yesterday, not only Secretary Clinton and Secretary Albright, but the 49 delegates. Those delegates are emerging leaders from around the world, who had traveled far and endured incredible journeys just to attend the two-week Institute. It was inspiring to hear the personal stories of these brave, bright, and committed young women.
Among our delegates are: a parliamentarian in Myanmar, who has worked to make the government accountable for its human rights violations against women; the youngest member of the Afghanistan parliament, who grew up under Taliban rule; a former journalist and now a parliamentarian in Kosovo, who is committed to press freedom and issues of human rights; and an Egyptian urban planner, who spoke about raising her daughters in a post–Arab spring Egypt.
I was delighted that Wellesley could host the inaugural Institute of the Women in Public Service Project—a partnership between Wellesley and our sister colleges, and the U.S. State Department. I was also honored that Wellesley’s two Secretaries of State joined us for the occasion.
It was a rare and special moment to share the stage with the two of them yesterday.
In a word, inspiring ! (looking forward to reading a report and evaluation of this institute)