| Blenda Wilson grew up in a small New Jersey town in | | | | completely through college, since I knew my parents |
| the 1950s. Most people believed that the best Blenda | | | | could not afford to pay for me to go." Ultimately, |
| could hope for was a low-paying office job, and that | | | | "Cedar Crest guaranteed me four years' tuition, [a] |
| college was unrealistic and beyond her economic | | | | travel budget, and a job." She graduated from Cedar |
| reach. | | | | Crest College with a major in English and Secondary |
| Blenda's family had experienced racial discrimination. | | | | Education. She went on to earn a Master's degree in |
| Her mother "was a bright black woman who had | | | | Education from Seton Hall, and then a Ph.D. in Higher |
| graduated from 'normal school' in the racially | | | | Education from Boston College. |
| segregated deep south" of America, during the | | | | Early in her career she experienced gender and age |
| Depression. According to Blenda, her mother was a | | | | discrimination from African American males, both in the |
| "very, very intelligent woman, [with a] powerful mind | | | | community and within her organization. Though she |
| and fortitude." She said, "My mother moved from | | | | was more qualified and more educated than her |
| Georgia... the north didn't accept normal school | | | | competition, some people were vocal in their opposition |
| [teaching] credentials, and so she became, throughout | | | | to her getting the job as Executive Director of the |
| her working career... a white-collar worker, [a] | | | | Middlesex County Economic Opportunity Corporation. |
| salesperson at Sears, an elevator operator... [and] a | | | | Blenda said, "The African American men in the |
| girls' supervisor in a juvenile detention home." | | | | community were [quite upset] that a woman would get |
| Blenda's father "went to technical vocational school... | | | | this role.... One of the criteria was that they wanted |
| completed the [electrician] certificate, and in those | | | | someone with a Master's degree. I had one. None of |
| days, to become an electrician, you had to be | | | | the African American men did." So Wilson got the job |
| apprenticed. He was black and he could never get an | | | | over their loud protests. |
| apprenticeship, so he could never be an electrician." He | | | | Blenda "was youngest Senior Associate Dean in the |
| became a laborer instead of an electrician. | | | | Graduate School of Education at Harvard," and once |
| Blenda shared that her mother, who had experienced | | | | again she encountered age discrimination. Wilson |
| racial discrimination, insisted that her children "didn't go | | | | shared that she had "worked with and was tutored by |
| out of the house dirty and slovenly... because she [had] | | | | Dr. John Gardner" after leaving Harvard. After she left |
| lived in a really segregated south." Her mother shared | | | | Harvard she became Chancellor of the University of |
| "stories where, if they were in town, and a white | | | | Michigan. After that she became the President of |
| person was walking down the street, black people | | | | California State University, Northridge for seven years, |
| stepped off into the curb." | | | | from 1992 to 1997, and led the university's recovery |
| Blenda then described her own experiences with racial, | | | | from the Northridge earthquake in January of 1994. |
| gender and age discrimination. Despite her membership | | | | In addition to having served as a Getty Foundation |
| in the National Honor Society at her high school in | | | | Trustee for over a decade, Dr. Wilson is the President |
| Woodbridge, New Jersey, her guidance counselor | | | | and CEO of the Nellie Mae Educational Foundation in |
| refused even to talk to her about going to college. | | | | Quincy, Massachusetts. She is also a past chair of the |
| Blenda's comment was, "God, she was really mean to | | | | American Association of Higher Education. Dr. Wilson |
| me. She never, ever gave me any counseling about | | | | serves as a trustee of the College Board, and she is |
| college; she never invited me to college prep stuff." | | | | Deputy Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of |
| Wilson said that on the contrary, "Actually, she told me | | | | Boston. |
| to 'take a typing class'... then said, 'You're nice looking, | | | | Dr. Blenda Wilson still takes time out of her busy |
| and you might be able to become a secretary.' Now | | | | schedule to mentor and coach select prospective |
| that's supposed to be a compliment." | | | | female prospective leaders. Her story offers a real |
| Wilson decided to take things in her own hands. Blenda | | | | message of hope and inspiration of how she decided |
| was convinced that she could find such a college for | | | | and was successful in her effort to overcome |
| herself and a way to pay for tuition, books, food, and | | | | adversity and turn adversity into opportunities. Br. |
| housing. Wilson wrote many colleges, seeking more | | | | Blenda Wilson is an outstanding example to everyone, |
| information, applied for admission, and asked for full | | | | especially women and minorities of becoming a |
| scholarships. She received scholarship offers from | | | | successful prominent leader, as well as show grace |
| several major colleges, but initially they offered only | | | | and class to give back to the community and helping |
| one-year scholarships with a series of renewals. | | | | to build a better world. |
| Blenda commented, "I was determined to get a full | | | | Copyright 2009 © Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. |
| four-year scholarship, to ensure that I could get | | | | |