"Why should girls miss out on the joy of adventure?... I'm not against fear, but I am pro-bravery." - Caroline Paul, author of The Gutsy Girl I recently joined the executive board for Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT), and we just wrapped up our Spring Empowerment Conference! The theme of this years conference was Be Gutsy, inspired by our keynote speaker Caroline Paul, who recently wrote a book for pre-teen girls about the value of adventure and bravery. Paul talked about how we condition young girls to let their fear keep them from having adventures, all while encouraging young boys to be brave. "When girls become women, this fear manifests as deference and timid decision making" (NYT). She talked about her joy in having adventures, from firefighting to skydiving to writing a book. The rest of the Empowerment Conference week was filled with events designed to empower and inspire the grad women of MIT to Be Gutsy. We had a movie night featuring a 14 year old girl who traveled around the world alone. We had a belly dancing class. We had a panel of women at MIT who do "Extreme Science" (including two of my great friends/rolemodels, Laura Stevens and Mariana Matus, and two of my science heroines, Susan Solomon and Nergis Mavalvala). And much more. It was incredible. I was inspired by the speakers and workshops at the conference - and by the amazing group of women who helped plan and put on the conference - to be more gutsy in my own life. Despite my fear of public speaking, I participated in the conference events twice. I was a panelist in a Women in STEM panel, and I moderated the Extreme Science panel. It was a wonderful experience both times. And yesterday, after the conference, I invited my fellow GWAMIT Board members to volunteer with me for MIT's CityDays. We were assigned to Habitat for Humanity and, incredibly, we actually helped to build a house. I learned a lot about this amazing organization which provides affordable homes for low-income families. And by the time we left, there was wall sheathing and housewrap on a home that had not been there before. I am so proud of that. I encourage you all to Be Gutsy, and seek out adventure. It is such a rewarding way to live.
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AuthorAmanda Kedaigle's work in the Broad Institute focuses on leveraging brand new biological data modalities to study novel models of human brain development. Archives
February 2022
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