如果你能看到，你就能做到

Now, as a female entrepreneur, she has become the relatable role model she sought.

格拉索, the keynote speaker for Foxcroft’s annual school-wide 领导 Day, 星期五, 9月6日, 2019, entertained and educated the audience by telling her story—it really did start with a lemonade stand—and dispensing invaluable advice mixed with a bit of hands-on experience for students.

As a girls’ school alumna, 格拉索 remembers growing up in an empowered environment. “You all know, in an all-girls school you have to raise your hand in class,” she said. “You have to be captain of this team, class president, or head of the school student body. Girls are the only people who can do it.”

To emphasize the value of that early empowerment, 格拉索 offered some of the lessons that she used to chart her path in the workforce. 

第一课:相信自己, don’t just do what makes you comfortable; continue to challenge and push yourself. 

Lesson 2: Ask for help or advice when you need it, but if you know what you want, tell people.

Lesson 3: Know your value and don’t be afraid to chart your own path. Do something you are passionate about so that you keep going when things get tough.

Lesson 4:  Build a team of advisors; a mentor to help you grow and a sponsor to seek opportunities for you.

格拉索 challenged those in the audience to think about risk not as uncertainty, but as unknown challenges that can be solved  “100 different ways.” Additional advice included: research the problem(s) you want to solve, 找到更深层次的潜在问题, 和主, 主, 主 until you find your solution. 然后, create your pitch—put your idea into three or four sentences, 相信你说的话, and be strategic and honest with your intent. 最后，要坚持. 即使你的提案被拒绝了, remember that the conversation is never over; you may just need to come at it from a different angle or perspective.

这是她今天的最后一堂课, 格拉索 asked three student volunteers to pitch their own ideas to the audience. 概念是由Leah N. ’22, whose idea is to make a product that will help occupational therapy patients either learn to dress themselves, or help them to maintain motor skills; Jennifer C. ’21, who wants to use the produce from the Foxcroft garden to create Miss Charlotte’s Pantry and distribute to those in need; and Courtney B. ’20, who pitched the idea of promoting a vegetarian style of eating to people in food-insecure areas, providing cooking and nutrition classes, 还有一个花园. Each pitch was followed by cheers and approval from the crowd.

Turns out 格拉索 was right; if you can see it, you really can be it. 

格拉索 remained on campus for the better part of the day to have lunch with the Student Council and participate in a workshop with the Junior Class to plan their philanthropic goals for the year.

的 Alison Harrison Goodyear ’29 Fellowship program, offered through the generosity of the family and friends of Alison Harrison Goodyear, 威尼斯彩票游戏1929届, brings distinguished speakers and provocative performers to Foxcroft to deliver a keynote address and conduct small group seminars with students. Fellowship recipients during the program’s 49-year history include such remarkable voices as Maya Angelou, 詹姆斯·贝克三世, 多丽丝·卡恩斯·古德温, 大卫•麦卡洛, 莎莉骑, 芭芭拉·沃尔99499威尼斯信誉斯, 科技企业家希娜·艾伦, 徒步旅行者, author, and National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” Jennifer Pharr Davis, and most recently “Hello Fears” founder Michelle Poler.