Saturday, May 5, 2012

Celebrating smart and talented women

I am really so very lucky to be influenced by smart and talented women - both past and present.

Last Friday was a really special day.  A former student leader who I worked with as an undergraduate was back in town for a wedding.  She had asked if we could connect over lunch and she also shared that she had just received a fellowship for which I had helped write a recommendation letter.  What a great reason to get together and celebrate!

Time with Jessie was simply a delight.  She continues to be intelligent, vibrant, and so full of life.  She is at the beginning of her work on her Ph.D. and has been conducting exceptional work on E. coli.  Did I mention that she is smart?!

We had a great talk about food safety and security, recent happenings around these issues in the news, and our growing need to educate consumers about our food supply.  The conversation was smart and honest.

The time with Jessie left me feeling really lucky to be able to work with so many women who are in the process of launching their careers.  It is an honor to play a small part in their successes and decision making.  These interactions are a rewarding and humbling experience and I hope that I continue to have the chance to influence women leaders as others have done for me.

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