Gala 2016: Leader of the Year, Susan Blount, Urges Scholars, "Choice And Risk Go Together...Embrace The Mistakes"

The 11th Annual Summer Scholars Gala was a fabulous evening, and our 2016 Leader of the Year, Susan Blount, gave an inspiring address to the Summer Scholars and guests:

I want to thank you, Katharine, for those kind remarks, and I want to thank the founders and board of the Joyce­ Ivy Foundation for doing me the honor of being here tonight. Having the chance to speak to our scholarship winners is a privilege.

The inspiration for my remarks this evening came from two amazing women who triumphed over all of the odds. One I am sure you have heard of; the other, probably not. The common threads in their stories are pretty unglamorous. They can be summarized as make choices, work hard, learn from setbacks, and eliminate the word “can’t” from your vocabulary... to which I will add, whenever you have the chance, imagine the future…just "Close Your Eyes and Fly.”

I will begin with a simple quote from J.K. Rowling, the single, divorced, unemployed mother turned billionaire author of the Harry Potter series:

“Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.”

Tonight we are celebrating some choices you have made that I am sure will have dramatic consequences for you…and maybe the world. Choices that will ignite the potential in your life.

You made a choice to put yourself out there by working hard in school, and then you made a choice by applying to a prestigious summer program, and then you made another choice to apply to the Joyce ­Ivy Foundation. In making those choices, whether you thought about it or not, you took risks… that you would be rejected somewhere in the process and your feelings would be hurt... that people who knew about your goals would laugh at you, if you failed… and you even took a risk that they would say that you are too big for your britches, now that you have shown them your stuff.

Choice and risk: two sides of the same coin... Two words that go together like peanut butter and jelly. For in making those choices and taking those risks, you have have started down a path where you will bring you many more choices…with potentially dramatic consequences…choices that I hope will sweep you outside of your comfort zone, thrust you into places you never dreamed might exist, and from there, point you onward to unlimited possibilities.

I am here to urge you on and tell you, “You Go, Girl!”

Some of the 2016 Summer Scholars and Susan Blount (front center).

That’s right, your destiny is not written in the stars; it is not foreordained; it will be written with the choices you make and what you do with them. My goal tonight is to encourage you to go forward into life focused on the choice side of the coin, understanding that risk comes with it­­ urging you to learn from the risks and setbacks, but not to let them overwhelm you. Don’t you let the naysayers get in your way. I want you to leave tonight concentrating on “what could be”…and then, “leap” into your future.

Several years ago I heard an amazing women speak. ­­­Her name is Colonel Linda Strine Murnane. ­She is my second woman of inspiration. The one you haven’t heard of. The one who symbolizes all of the strivers who overcame daunting odds, in her case to become a renowned human rights lawyer.

Very briefly, to give you a sketch of what she had to navigate to achieve her success, when she ran out of college money, she enlisted in the Air Force. Through skill and determination, she finished her college education, attending part­-time while she was in the Air Force. She rose to become an officer; she was selected for a prestigious Air Force program that would fund her legal education, but only after she was rejected the first time.

That first time, when she asked for an explanation of why she’d been passed over, since she felt eminently qualified, it was explained that she hadn’t shown enough commitment to the Air Force, like the officers who had gone to the Air Force Academy...That kind of commitment. But as she pointed out, the Air Force Academy hadn’t admitted women when she was graduating from high school. So she decided, if they wanted commitment, she’d show them commitment.

She proceeded to commute 200 miles a day to begin her law school courses at night after a full day of work. After finally being awarded the coveted fellowship, ­­it was almost taken away from her when she discovered she was pregnant. Only the intervention of a two star general preserved it for her,­­ and the hardships went on and didn’t get any easier, yet she rose against the odds to become one of the foremost human rights lawyers of her generation, working first for the US military and later for War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague. She served in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and the Middle East. She lived in the Netherlands. She served her family, her country, and the world.

And what was Col. Murnane’s counsel when we heard her speak?

"There is no such thing as 'can’t'. There is such a thing as 'won’t,' 'don’t want to,' 'don’t choose to,' 'don’t adopt this as my priority,' but there is no such thing as 'can’t.' 'Can’t' represents a lack of choice. And when we resign ourselves to a reality that does not include individual choice, we accept barriers ​others ​would impose upon us."

Now I wouldn’t wish Colonel Murnane’s trials on anyone, but her story is an inspiration and lesson to us all. You may not always like the choice – ­­joining the military in her instance because she chose to complete her education­­but do not resign yourself to a life without choice. You girls are already learning what it means to eliminate the word “can’t” from your vocabulary, but I promise you that you will have many chances in the future to remember the lessons of Col. Murnane­­ because you haven’t heard the word “can’t“ for the last time. Even if you stop using it, others will try to tell you “can’t”: can’t get into that college, can’t afford to go, can’t succeed in that major, can’t do that job, can’t get ahead, can’t be a good mother and good at your work. And you have to remember that you can: you want to, you choose to... and​, "you will."

My own path was much easier than that of Col. Murnane. I was born to a middle class in northern New Jersey just as legal and institutional barriers to women’s participation in many professions were eliminated. I did not have to enlist in the military or work extraordinary hours to get my chance at an education. In fact, I was born to a family with a commitment to social justice that inspired me to rush the gaps when the legal barricades came down. But despite my advantages, I had my share of disappointments.

Whether it was making poor time management choices that resulted in getting knocked on my butt academically my first quarter in college, working at tedious part-­time and summer jobs, making the decision for personal reasons to leave a prestigious private college to go to the University of Texas, going to law school, working at a big law firm when the number of women in the firm could be counted on my fingers (with a few left over) or growing through the ranks at Prudential, I had the chance, time after time, to say, “I can’t,” “I won’t,” “I don’t choose to,” “this isn’t my priority.” And sometimes it was darned tempting.

I clerked for two law firms my last summer of law school and the one I really wanted to work for didn’t offer me a job. (I figured for a couple of weeks that this would make me unemployable forever.­ What if the other firm found out?) ­­I wasn’t successful in getting into one of the student organizations I thought would embellish my resume. (Likewise, I was sure this would end my career before I started.)­­­­

When my husband and I decided to move to Chicago after the normal law school interviewing season had concluded, I had to go find a job at an awkward time of year. The good news was that firms were interested in talking to me. So, I started out by going to see the lesser firms that offered to pay my expenses, but I was not offered jobs by any of them; instead, I had to get back on an airplane with money my husband and I borrowed and interview with the most prestigious firms in the City that were willing to talk to me, but weren’t interested enough to pay.

I reflected on what must have gone wrong the first time around; I changed my strategy, and I got offers from all three of them. So, while I always try to stay focused on the choice and opportunity side of the coin, I can tell you I learned an awful lot from the risk and setback side. I learned to dust myself off and put one foot in front of the other and put myself out there starting the next day­­, no Kelly Ripa pouts for me. Because you won’t have the choices without taking on the risk. As I said, they go together like peanut butter and jelly.

No matter where you come from, there is no path to success that does not involve personal discomfort, risk, and occasional setbacks. Our last three presidents all lost in their first attempts at federal office. And it looks like the next one­­ – whoever it is – ­­will be operating with a similar track record.

So when you are at a speech, listening to a leader, and hearing about all of of her successes, if you have a chance to ask questions, be sure and inquire about setbacks; they have all had those experiences and there is sooo much to learn.

The fact of the matter is, if your choices don’t result in failure from time to time, you aren’t really trying. It is inevitable, so focus on the possible...focus on what can be…focus on what you can learn…not the “musn’ts,” “don’ts,” and “can’ts.” The stumbles will happen, but don’t let them define you. And know that no matter how calm and prepared others appear, they have many of the same fears as you.

Don’t fall victim to limiting yourself with thoughts like, “I feel stressed;” “I could fail, so I won’t waste my time;” “I feel uncomfortable;” “what about the risk;” “the other people have so much more going for them” ­­– everyone else has their own list of “won’ts” and “don’ts” that they are battling, too. Those feelings of discomfort and risk, and the setbacks, are simply the universal price of admission that everyone pays to do things that matter.

Embrace the mistakes, learn from them, and let them make you stronger. The truth is that after almost 35 years in corporate America, I still battle my own self imposed “won’ts" and "don’ts” and live a richer life each day as I work my way through them.

Now a lot of that sounds very grim­­. What’s the point? All of that risk and so on. And that’s where it gets good. Because when you make choices and harvest their potential, you will find that the world can open up in ways you can’t imagine, ­­like J.K. Rowling’s literary success.

You can have an impact. You can get involved and invest in causes you care about. You can travel and see new worlds. You can serve as a mentor to the next generation of women ­­just like you… And that’s when you can close your eyes and fly.

Now, as I wrap up, let me say that I was asked to think of an inspiring song to share with you, and Caroline will tell you it took me about 15 seconds to come up with my suggestion – although she may not realize that for 14 of those seconds I was in abject panic, since I am not too
good on popular music.

So let me close my remarks by quoting from a song that sometimes keeps me going, "Defying Gravity," from the musical Wicked:

I’m through accepting limits ‘cause someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change but ‘til I try, I’ll never know!
So if you care to find me, Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately, “Everyone deserves the chance to fly!”