Extraordinary Ordinary People

“As educated people, as people who are being given the gift of the transformative power of education, you have special responsibilities. You are fortunate that you are in a place here at Brigham Young University that believes that faith and reason go together, that does not see your intellect and your faith as enemies of each other, but sees them as integrally related in what you are.”

- A quote taken from an address given on 13 January 2011 by this classy woman:

If you don't recognize her, that's former US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

And yes, I took this picture.

Dr. Rice gave a powerful and inspiring address today at the Marriott Center for a University Forum. I went so far as to skip class to get a good seat (not that I usually require much of an excuse to skip class, haha). I ended up sitting a couple rows behind the reserved seating. Not bad. And from there, I could see all kinds of celebrities. Well, MORMON celebrities: Elder Gerritt W. Gong (he spoke in General Conference last session), Sister and President Samuelson, the entire General Relief Society presidency. The list goes on ;)

President Cecil O. Samuelson leaning in for a quick word with the lady of the hour.

Anyway, I absolutely loved a lot of what Dr. Rice had to say. She was bold and outspoken, as many ex-politicians are. And some (okay, MOST) of the things she said concerning global economics and politics were just a little too right-wing for me. But she made a lot of great points, and she was a very eloquent, very persuasive speaker.

The above quote was one of my favorites of the day. What a blessing it is to study at a university as prestigious as BYU. I get to learn all I can in my chosen field, AND I'm able to receive a spiritual education, one that I would likely never encounter at another school. What a lucky girl am I.

Another thing I loved about Condie's speech was her emphasis on focusing on the positive. Always a struggle for me, I know that optimism has its benefits, though I sometimes choose to ignore them. Cynicism is just easier sometimes, isn't it? Well, it may be easy, but it's certainly not worth it. Confidence in yourself, in your future, and in your work is vital to success at any level.

I could go on all day about her talk. Let me close with this: Who would have thought that a little black girl growing up in Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights movement would ever come to be what Condoleezza Rice has become? What an wonderful feat, to be who you want to be, no matter what boundaries are set upon you. We can each accomplish so much!

I don't care what political party she belongs to, she's an inspiring woman, and I feel lucky to have had the chance to hear her words and partake of her wisdom.

Just a fraction of the crowd that showed up for Dr. Rice's address

Oh and by the way:

She changed her major three times in college. Wasn't till her senior year that she finally made up her mind. That gives me hope. Thanks for the inspiration, Condie!

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