Amy DuBois Barnett shares seven rules for achieving success with attendees at the annual Women of Promise dinner.

Women of Promise

Amy DuBois Barnett shares 7 rules of thought with women faculty, students

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11:43 a.m., April 1, 2015--Amy DuBois Barnett, executive director at ESPN, addressed nearly 200 University of Delaware faculty and students at the annual Women of Promise Dinner on March 12. 

This annual event promotes positive faculty and student mentoring relationships, with women faculty members selecting exceptional women undergraduate and graduate students to accompany them to the dinner 

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At the event, UD Provost Domenico Grasso said,  "We could not have achieved all that we’ve done over the past century were it not for this change and the efforts of dynamic women who are part of the UD legacy and the UD community. Our history is manifest testimony to the power diversity and inclusion."

“This occasion reminds us of the importance of formal and informal ways of teaching and mentoring, and its ability to not only impart knowledge but ignite the desire to seek future knowledge as life long learners,“ said Carol Henderson, vice provost for diversity. 

Barnett, who is the former editor-in-chief of Ebony, the oldest and largest black magazine in the country, shared the heart-warming journey of her life and career after losing her mother -- and best friend -- at the age of 22. 

“It took me losing her to figure out what her life’s lessons were for me”, Barnett said. Believing that independence and success were her mother’s final gifts to her, Barnett encourages women to pursue their own dreams and not the dreams that others have for them. 

To give women the tools they need to achieve their goals, Barnett shared seven rules from what she calls the “Get Yours School of Thought”:

1. Embrace fear as growth.

2. Be true to yourself.

3. Realize your value and demand the best.

4. Put into the universe what you want to get back.

5. Have integrity.

6. Stay independent.

7. Do something meaningful every day.

These tools, Barnett said, have been the substance of her success.

In celebration of UD Women’s 100 Years, this year’s event honored three distinguished women for their years of service and dedication to the University of Delaware and their commitment to women’s equity and inclusion. 

Honored were Mae Carter, former assistant provost for women’s affairs and executive director of the Commission on the Status of Women; Maxine Colm, former vice president for administration; and Judith Gibson, former assistant vice president for affirmative action and multicultural programs. 

Also honored at the event were the 2015 recipients of the Mae Carter Award:  Anne Corbett Wright, a senior from Newark, Delaware, majoring in dietetics, and Rebecca Guarino, a senior from Bronx, New York, majoring in mathematics education and women and gender studies; and the 2015 recipient of the Bessie Collins Award: Rebecca Sahraoui, a graduate student from Townsend, Delaware, who is pursuing her master's degree in biological sciences. 

The Women of Promise Dinner is sponsored by the provost and vice provost for diversity. 

Article by Dana Brittingham

Photos by Wenbo Fan

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