A Wellesley College Student Reflects on Remarks by Hillary Clinton

Guest blogger Wellesley College rising junior Nathalie Davidson offers a thoughtful - and humorous - personal reflection on Monday's remarks by Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright. Natalie attended the opening ceremonies of the Women in Public Service Institute. 

Alumnae Hall in the Diana Chapman Walsh Auditorium is graced by portraits of revered Wellesley Alumnae. As a current student, walking through Alumnae Hall can be daunting. I’m almost positive every Wellesley woman wishes to have her portrait next to the likes of Hillary or Diane [Sawyer]. I often find myself staring at Hillary’s portrait and wonder, how does she do it?  My english Professor would strangle me for using the pronoun “it” instead of a noun but I find myself at a lack of words to describe everything Hillary Clinton does. In concrete terms, Hillary was an attorney, a first lady, a senator, and is currently Secretary of State. She is also an advocate for human rights, health care reform, and issues pertinent to women and children. At Wellesley College, Hillary is much more. She is an inspiration and role model.

I had the opportunity to hear Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright speak this past Monday when they came to Wellesley College for the inauguration of the Women in Public Service Institute. The Woman in Public Service Institute is a remarkable project giving women all over the world an opportunity to correct the gender imbalances in public service. The Institute is creating cracks to shatter the proverbial glass ceiling that is holding women back. You can read more about the Institute at their website http://womeninpublicservice.org/

Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton’s speeches were inspiring. Both women possess knowledge and insight unfathomable to an undergraduate student. After hearing the speech I came to a couple conclusions. First, I am probably never going to  be Secretary of State. Don’t worry, I’m okay with this conclusion. I am not cut out for politics. The “Secretary of State” weight fell off my shoulders and landed on my best friends. I decided she should be Secretary of State. Great! Moving on. With this new freedom, I was able to reflect on the speeches with a refreshing perspective. I can’t be these women but I can definitely learn from them.

Hillary told the audience a little anecdote about her first time leaving home for Wellesley that resonated with me.

“Now, I know how daunting it can be to get started. When I first arrived on this campus in the fall of 1965, I was acutely aware of my own limitations. I didn’t think I was smart enough or worldly enough to succeed here. I called home and I told my parents I didn’t think I should stay at Wellesley. And my father immediately said, “Well, then come home.” (Laughter.) “Go to school near home.” But my mother, a woman who had been abandoned as a child and had to fight for everything she had in life, said, “You cannot quit. You must persevere. You must go on.” And of course, she was right. And I grew to love Wellesley and to test myself against limits that I experienced and then to try to go beyond them.”

When I first arrived at Wellesley, the Alumnae Hall and Hillary’s presence were reminders of my own limitations. My years at Wellesley have changed my perspective from limitations to road bumps. I would be lying if this wasn’t a work in progress. Even in this blog post I point out my personal limitations of admitting I will never be Secretary of State. The important thing is to try and to test ourselves as Hillary says. I am one step closer to turning limitations into road bumps with the inspiring words of my fellow sisters.

Nathalie Davidson is an English major at Wellesley College and a member of the class of 2014. During her spare time, Nathalie watches an obscene amount of television. She has recently finished watching all five seasons of Friday Night Lights and is looking for another television show to binge watch. Another hobby of hers is making and eating sandwiches. In the town of Wellesley, Nathalie has eaten sandwiches from Linden, Tutto Italiano, Alta Strada, and Old School. All sandwiches are her favorite sandwiches.