Michigan University hosted a panel discussion in tribute to International Women’s Day. Among the keynote speakers and panelists of the event, “
Community Builders; Perspectives from Women Leaders” organized by Niagara Foundation, were prominent women around Michigan.
One of the panelists Ruth Holmes, who is a legal graphologist in criminal cases, passed out small silver acorns to the attendees as a memento of the day. Holmes recommended that they remember the inevitability of tireless work before starting out a career and that only this way can they succeed. A Harvard University graduate, Holmes who received her first graphology training from her mother explained highlighting the significance of education: “My mother was an educator who dedicated her life to enlighten people until her last breath. One day when she fell sick, she asked me to substitute her graphology classes. That would be her last day in this world but she was still concerned about her classes. When I arrived home after the classes, I saw her giving her last breath.”
Another panelist Psychiatry and Genetics professor Margit Burmeister noted, based on her personal experiences, that one has to be flexible in his/her decisions and take others’ views into account. She additionally said that it is highly beneficial to consult with relevant individuals about a decision to be made.
Japanese Literature professor Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, speaking of the education, said that parental education should be faultless so that schooling can build up on it. The panel moderator Dr. Berna Saglik underscored that educators should provide a global vision to their students while the journalist Sydney J. Harris recalled the motto “Turn mirrors into windows” in her remarks.
The discussion was followed by a Q-and-A session and Turkish refreshments which created a friendly interaction between the audience and the guest speakers.
Published [in Turkish} on
Zaman Amerika, 10 March 2013, Sunday
