LinkedIn Groups
• Group: Harvard Business Review
• Discussion: Dr. Maria Klawe: Pioneering World-Renowned Computer Scientist and Executive Leader, shares her early years
Hi, Stephen, thanks for sharing, very insightful interview, Dr. Maria Klawe's earlier experience may inspire many youth to follow their dreams, especially girls, in the digital era, role model is also without border, people have more resources and freedom to become who they are. thanks.
Posted by Pearl
LinkedIn Groups
• Group: Harvard Business Review
• Discussion: Dr. Maria Klawe: Pioneering World-Renowned Computer Scientist and Executive Leader, shares her early years
I'm very glad that young people have so many more opportunities today and that gender is much less of an issue.
Posted by Maria
These comments were posted in Harvard Business Review ...
In answer to Pearl: Maria's work is so important for diversity and leveraging all the talent that is available but needs models as you indicated.
From HBR:
Your work Maria continues to play a key role in this area: your college leads the nation with gender balance in your engineering programs, you lead and mentor teams to the Grace Hopper conferences, you are keynoting on gender diversity at the World CIO Forum -- this is the first such keynote to a senior IT executive audience globally on this topic.
Thank you Maria
It is very refreshing to see such honesty and condour from somebody with such a distinguished career and current position in life. It offers insight for those who can learn from it and encouragement for those who are currently fighting their own "battles". It touches close to home in some respects for me personally, as I am sure it does for many who have experienced the ups and downs of personal and professional life. One thing is clear is that all of life's experiences has made Maria the well rounded person that she is today, and that perhaps has given her the courage to be so open with us all. For that I must applaud her.
Maria has chosen to direct her current energies in the direction of education and I am sure that Harvey Mudd and its students are the better for it. A sound education in whatever is your chosen domain is the foundation for so much in life, something which is often not best appreciated until you are older and hopefully wiser. I am sure that Maria is a great mentor. We all need to find our "mentor" in life and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found mine, albeit later in life now that I am retired from professional life but have found a new career in volunteer work. Finding your mentor helps you to realize things about yourself and it encourages you to help others, in turn acting as a mentor for others. Thank you Maria for inspiring me to go on believing that much good can still be done with support and encouragement from the right people. We all have our "demons" to overcome.
This interview needs to be heard by everyone involved in academia, technology and most definitely by all students. Dr. Klawe’s sharing of her life’s challenges and triumphs is an inspiration to every student, indeed to every person. Her continued excellence in leadership and valuing of students is a model for all education leaders. I find it very enjoyable to highlight Dr. Clawe’s work to the Deans of Information Technology across Canada. Invariably the response is one of excitement and possibilities. And I know once I send a link to this interview to the Association of Canadian Community Colleges for sharing with College and Institute Presidents across the country they will mirror that response. And finally even though her achievements are at the highest level, her success extraordinary and her career amazing, it is her candid sharing of the turbulent and uncertain times of her life that truly marks her greatness in my eyes. Her mention of suicidal thoughts will go a long way to encouraging others to acknowledge and address those thoughts when they experience them, very likely saving lives. This interview is a truly great gift and the fact that such an accomplished and successful person would share such a personal journey is a true testament to her greatness and humanity.
Dave O'Leary
Chair National Council of Deans of Information Technology
For those who asked about other interviews, this is one that I did earlier this year:
Graham, thank you for providing your thoughts. Mentors mark a special place in peoples lives and mentorship is rewarding to all. You mentor many in your roles as founding vice-chair of GITCA, president of VanTug, founding publisher and managering editor, global newsletter, and much more.
Moreover, learning from our challenges is a good lesson for success.
Dave, you have the ability to continue the chain of good will encapsulated in Maria's message and I know many will appreciate your efforts in honouring Maria in this way.
As a new parent of a baby girl, I have keen interest in our educational system. The job of educating our daughter begins with us but is maintained by the educational system. We intend to teach and encourage her to do anything she chooses. The educational system as a whole would do well to follow your thinking that all students would benefit from the recognition and encouragement from the early grades going forward, and not just those who show exceptional talent or abilities. Our future depends on our children. Thank you for your insightful interview. I am encouraged knowing that there are educators like you in the system.
As a passionate advocate for education, I found your interview candid and refreshing and I am happy to see that there are equally passionate and caring educators who are working hard to improve the system from within. All students will thrive with support, encouragement and recognition of their individual abilities. I believe the earlier in the students' education this occurs, the greater the result.
