Girls urged to follow Eleanor
Roosevelt's example
By ANI AHAVAH
Tribune Correspondent
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Author Robin Gerber, speaker at the Women's Celebration
at Culver Academy, signs a copy of her book,
"Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way," for
11th-grader Barbara Shepard.
Tribune Photo/ANI AHAVAH
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CULVER -- Robin
Gerber, author of "Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way"
delivered the keynote address at Culver Academy Saturday.
Her presentation began
the Culver Women's Celebration day as they focused together on
great women and women's leadership.
Gerber likened a young
Eleanor Roosevelt and her mentor Mademoiselle Sylvester to the
students and staff.
Gerber encouraged the
girls to follow Eleanor Roosevelt's example of compassion, as she
"betrayed her class to help those less fortunate."
"Helping other
people was Eleanor's life's work that she learned, lived, and
taught by example," said Gerber.
She also shared
stories of the first lady's courage in initiating news conferences
exclusively for women reporters.
"She started a
conversation with the American people that gave her power in the
face of tremendous criticism," said Gerber.
Gerber's book is used
as a primary text for Culver's 11th-grade leadership course that
students take as a graduation requirement.
"It's one thing
just to read her book in leadership class. It's another thing to
have her talk to you and realize she really is wanting leadership
to expand in this country," student Barbara Shepard said.
Part of the Culver
Women's Celebration was a formal luncheon in which three students
were honored in an essay contest on leadership.
"We had to pick a
female role model and write about why she was so significant to
us," said second-place winner Megan Greenberg, 17.
Megan's role model is
"Grand," her 71-year-old grandmother who, from her farm
of origin has traveled 70 countries.
Lindley Bassett, 15,
wrote her third-place essay about her aunt Chris as her
inspirational role model.
Her mother's older
sister was given up for adoption at an early age and only recently
was reunited with her family.
Soo Young Lee's essay
about her grandmother in Seoul, Korea, won her first place.
The 19-year-old
admires her grandmother's ability to nurture her family and be an
active and valuable member on the Advisory Committee for the Unity
of Korea at the same time.
This is the third year
for the Culver Women's Celebration.
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