Last Post: Helen Samhan (Shannon)

As you all know, from my previous reflections on our guest speakers, I have really enjoyed listening to how these influential women first became interested in their own leadership potential. When Helen Samhan spoke to us though, I noticed a distinct difference between her and our other guest speakers because she didn’t really speak of anything specific (an experience or a person) that triggered her interest in her own leadership. She did mention something about her mother’s upbringing that might have contributed to how she was later brought up and the kind of confidence that was instilled in her at a very young age. Samhan talked about how her mother was one of five daughters growing up in the 1920s and how her father encouraged all of them to go out and get an education. This is very interesting to think about considering the time that her mother and her aunts were growing up and how most women were raised primarily to fill the role of wives and mothers. I am sure that this did affect how Samhan was raised and it is probably what made an impact on how she views herself both as a leader and as a woman...