Years have different cadences: Late Summer brings the excitement of a fresh school year, the eagerness of new students, the anticipation of new techniques in the classroom, perhaps a research project on the horizon. Now that GW has announced in-person re-opening for the Fall semester, the anticipation is even greater this year. 

Sometime after the end of the first term, challenges take on a different beat – how to ensure advisees have all forms for graduation, how to tie up loose ends before the end of the Spring term. And, then just when it seems like it just began – the school year is over.

As the year ended, we hosted a launch for CyberCorps students, celebrating those who graduated, and those who are just embarking in the program.

WiE was the recipient of generosity during the GW Giving Tuesday, and for that we are thankful to all of our donors.

Last week, we held a very successful workshop, Closing the Gap: The Re-Entry of Women Veterans to Cybersecurity. The full day featured discussions around three topics: 1) The challenges experienced by women in the military; 2) Aspects of the transition from military to civilian life for service members and their families; and 3) The many and varied pathways and opportunities to enter and succeed in cybersecurity careers. We will be sharing a full report on the workshop, but for now I encourage you to watch the video that was developed to set the stage for the workshop. The video features frank interviews with six amazing women veterans as they shared with us their experiences, insights and advice. 

The SEAS graduation celebration and GW commencement, presided over by SEAS Dean Lach, were both virtual, and that gives me the chance to share the videos of two amazing women. Kendall Wheeler graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Her message was one of encouragement to anyone who has doubted their abilities as they begin college and beyond. "Rather than running away in fear of failure, or perpetually comparing yourself to those around you, we should embrace the fact that we don't know everything - if you're already the best at what you do, there wouldn't be any room for improvement," she said. "You can do hard things!"

You all may have seen the movie based on the 2016 best-selling book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians who Helped Win the Space Race. But did you know that one of the amazing women featured was also a GW alumna? In her GW celebration speech, Dr. Christine Darden shared "the 4P formula" that she devised as she finished high school, which gave her journey purpose, direction and focus - a formula we might all be able to use:

She then tells the amazing story of how she followed her formula to eventually become a NASA Director and Aerospace Engineer. In 1983 Dr. Darden earned her Doctor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at GW, and in 2019 GW awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Science. 

Enjoy the GW videos of these inspiring women by clicking on the links below.

Stay safe, enjoy the new normal, and watch for our mid-Summer newsletter.

Shelly Heller
WiE Center Director