So true indeed. Speaking of encouraging
and inspiring others and drawing from
what you just mentioned about self-
confidence, how did you feel when you
received an invitation to speak to college
bound kids at Children of Helen's
Scholarship Dinner?
"Initially I was surprised (Whitney chuckles)
and then nervous. What if I couldn’t meet the
expectations? What could I say to inspire
these young people or even the people in the
room - I'm still trying to figure things out for
myself."
And then I thought I should be honest and
paint a true picture of my struggles and
triumphs, with the hopes that it will inspire
them. In certain circumstances, it is best to
guard your vulnerability, but in this situation I
chose otherwise."
It was such a moving and inspiring speech and
you delivered it beautifully. In your speech you
mentioned that your first few years at Harvard
were very challenging. You said, "My confidence
plummeted to an all time low during my first few
years of grad school. Each class was a dreaded
brew of anxiety and fear of being “found out”. But
you did exceptionally well. How did you
overcome?
"I viewed every challenge as an opportunity to grow
and this often entailed stepping out of my comfort
zone. I shifted from focusing on the actual problem to
practical and methodical solutions to those problems.
I created an extensive support system of both
scientific and personal mentors. Having great