Half the Sky

Education. Education. Education.

It's funny how themes pop up in our lives. Education seems to be one of mine....

As a college coach, I talk to a lot of high school parents and students, as well as college students and their parents. This is one of the reasons I love my job. I love interacting with these groups--getting to know them, sharing with them and hopefully coaching their daughters. Inevitably, one of the questions that arises with perspective parents is cost. Understandable. I'm not going to sit here and sell my school specifically (although I could), but I am going to say this is one of the most interesting questions for me. My answer is, your investment is worth every dime. The payout of a solid education is priceless, really. Again, not product specific, but if a kid is going to benefit from going to a school that has a top engineering program because that's their passion... it's worth it. If the family values a university with a religious affiliation, it's worth it.

Currently, I'm reading Nicholas Kristof's novel, Half the Sky. The book is about women in the world (or half the sky/population) and how much better a place the world would be if women were treated equally and able to share themselves with the world.  If you haven't heard of it or read it, pick it up. Today. I was fortunate enough to see him speak at Saint Mary's last year about his experiences and travel around the globe meeting women. It was just heartbreaking and inspiring, all at the same time, much like his book. What's the connection? Right now he's describing some of the conditions in Arab nations and the brutality that women experience---and how the tolerate and come to believe they should receive it---because they are uneducated. And I mean UNEDUCATED. No elementary school. Nothing. Crushing. Here are women who are brutally raped and maimed because they are women and have no voice and no one to protect them. The book is not all heartbreak though as Nicholas brilliantly shows how some women have risen above against all odds---those who have been educated.

It is a hard book to read, but an even harder book to put down. It makes you feel helpless but inspired. I know that the work we are doing at Girls on the Run is such a smaller scale with very different circumstances... but it is still educating young girls on what is acceptable and what is not. I love to see the areas of my life interweave... and I feel like this is all happening as I prepare to begin leadership training with my seniors. Education at a much higher, intricate level, but an education that will hopefully serve them well as they embark on their careers, start families and become social entrepreneurs.

This blog is for Kris. Thank you for lending me your book. I finally got to it...and I'm sure I'll need to buy my own copy. :)