Reminiscing about her unbelievable rise, Schetzsle confessed that indeed, little came easy long the way.
“I was raised by a single mother who taught me a very strong work ethic. I knew that I really had to practice everyday, and write down my goals. I think that whether you want to be an actress, a writer, an athlete, you really have to dedicate yourself to accomplishing your goals.
“It’s not enough to believe and be passionate about something. It’s not enough to say you love what you do. You really truly have to work for it.”
On the other end of the business spectrum was Joan K. Norton, a founder and principal of a full-service financial advisory firm with over 30 years of experience. Norton earned an MBA in finance from Babson College, and told her young listeners that the key to their dreams fits in their pockets.
“Whether it’s on a key chain or in your wallet, the most important thing you can possibly get is a library card. We, as individuals want to find answers. And how can you do that? As far as we know, we only have one lifetime. One of the ways you can do that is by reading, going to plays or movies that have interactions with characters. What you’re doing, then, is educating yourself and seeing situations and how people treat each other -- that will help you in the future.
“It gives you the benefit of aging but not the wrinkles with it!”
Years of study and reflection can inspire action, said Mayor Kim Driscoll. The first woman to hold such high office in Salem, she first served two terms on the Salem City Council, then as the Deputy City Manager and Chief Legal Counsel for the city of Chelsea before winning the 2006 mayoral election.
“The stories told by other women mayors are amazingly similar; what often motivated them to run for office was simply that they couldn’t stand it anymore. They may have been active in a Parent-Teacher Organization or played a role in their school or in their city, but they finally got fed up enough on what was going on to say, ‘I think I can do a better job!’”
Driscoll outlined the importance of visibility, that seeing women in otherwise male-dominated roles help young girls believe they can succeed in any arena they choose.
US Ice Hockey Hall of Famer Angela Ruggiero had no such luxury. Long before winning the first of four Olympic medals, all she had was a dream and boundless determination.
“In the second grade for Career Day, I showed up in my hockey gear on. Now, this is Southern California, at a time where there were no girls playing in the state. I was literally the only girl on my team; there was no one else I could play with or against. So I had this far-fetched dream that I wanted to play hockey.
“Everyone thought I was crazy but I knew inside that was what I loved.”
Rejected from the boy’s hockey team, a then-nine-year-old Ruggiero had a decision to make.
“My dad walked me through it and said, ‘Ang, you can quit or you can come back next year and be the best player on the team, so there’s no way they can cut you. But you have to be the best player, you can’t be, like, third or fourth best.’
“I said, ‘Ok Dad, I can do that.’ The next year I made the team; it just showed me that when you put your mind to something and you have a supportive environment all around you when you have this dream that you’re chasing, anything is possible.”
1994 Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan may have been the first female figure skater, but nonetheless overcame similar visibility issues she credits King for helping to fix.
“I’ve said that for years when it comes to TV, Billie Jean was so essential for breaking boundaries for athletes and for women everywhere. For figure skating, you might think, ‘that’s a women’s sport and one that’s visual’ and I didn’t have the same issues. But you know what, it wasn’t on TV much either. They showed two girls the year I was fifth. And the year I was fourth they showed three. And the year I was third they showed two again!
“And I was like, ‘what’s going on? Am I ever going to make it onto that TV?’” she laughed.
Over forty years after beating Bobby Riggs to win the Battle of the Sexes, King gave kudos to women who came before her like Althea Gibson, for inspiring her to pursue equality for all.
“I remember seeing her play when I was 13 years old and that changed my life. She was the first person of color to ever get to play in sanctioned matches at the US Open in Forest Hills and she was the first person of color to win a major. Everybody in this country talks about Arthur Ashe but without Althea Gibson, there would not be an Arthur Ashe.
“I think if she had been a boy, a man, she would have gotten more attention.”
Beyond the individual efforts of men and women, King concluded by asserting her most poignant philosophy: passion is what ultimately breeds strength in people.
“Every single person that’s up here is so inspiring because of the passion they had for what they did. You didn’t hear one person say, ‘Oh I didn’t really like what I was doing.’ They love what they were doing. Look at them, they had goals and they didn’t let obstacles get in their way!”
