Jerri Byrd

I know it's a little early but I wanted to write about Jerri Byrd while her presentation is still fresh in my mind. I thought she was amazing and even though she may not have been as funny or as engaging as Panny and Jean or Laura, she had a very unique perspective on women in leadership roles. I think because of her age she views leadership a lot lot LOT differently than we do as teenagers and young twenty-somethings in the world today. I couldn't believe it when she said that they didn't even have TV when she was growing up and I really liked what she had to say about her Husband's tenure in the foreign services, especially when she referred to it as such a partnership. She often said when "we" were in the foreign services which makes me believe that she considered herself to be just as much involved in the process as her husband and that is just amazing. I find it so inspiring to listen to the speakers that we have in class because even though they are from a completely different generation than I, a generation that as Jerri pointed out gave them three career options, they still managed to come out as strong and influential leaders. I am excited to be a leader in the world today, and I feel like doors are flung open to me everywhere, however it's interesting to reflect about the kind of leader that I would have become if I didn't feel this way. I don't know if I have the courage to stand up to that kind of barrier and overcome it and I have a deep deep admiration for these women who did just that.