Words of Hope Help Another WLP Fall Symposium Soar

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But Walls explained how she came to face her fears and embrace the family dysfunction from which she tried so hard to hide, becoming a stronger and more self-aware person as a result. Her father’s promise that the family would one day live in a “big glass castle” never materialized, and his Christmas “present” of the planet Venus to her as a child may have been empty on one level. But she came to regard both as irreplaceable gifts. “It was a priceless treasure,” she said of her father’s planetary present in a family that had precious little money and was constantly on the run. “It is whatever we choose to make it. You can say that about so many things in life. I think you can say that about the glass castle.” “Dad never did build us a big ol’ fancy mansion,” Walls continued. “But I believe – I choose to believe, because it is a choice – that he gave us something much more valuable than a fancy mansion to live in. And that was hope … the belief that I deserved something more than what I had. And I believe that’s what this afternoon is about. It’s not just giving these young women scholarships – it’s giving them hope.” Then there was Zamani, who never lost it – in spite of dealing with considerable self-doubt, fear of failure and an unplanned disruption in her education. WLP Endowed Scholar Shari Zamani providing her inspiring testimonial. As it turned out, she needed no help overcoming her jitters to deliver a heartfelt and inspiring talk. Speaking with poise and power, the public health major wasted no time commanding the room by revealing not only that she was the first woman in her family to attend college but had never actually graduated from high school. She went on to describe how she had struggled with academics and how one day as a junior she left class to get some water. “And I just kept walking. I left school … and never went back.” She worked for three years, waiting tables, bartending and earning her cosmetology license, yet always felt that there was something else in store for her. Overcoming a fear of failure, Zamani got enough courage to apply to Hillsborough Community College. She heard that the school offered an assessment test that would allow her admission to college, without a diploma or taking the GED. She passed and suddenly a new world opened up for her – with the realization that she enjoyed and excelled at math, and that many of her past academic problems were due to dyslexia. Zamani went on to graduate from HCC with the top GPA and as class Valedictorian, and had no doubt that she would continue her education at USF as a junior transfer. “I chose USF because of the quality and variety of its academic programs, the diversity of the student body and, in all honesty, because the president of the university was a she.” Cheers and laughter erupted as Zamani gestured to a beaming President Genshaft and continued to hold the audience’s rapt attention. Revealing she is on track to graduate in December with a 4.0 GPA, Zamani expressed gratitude for all of the scholarship support she has received from USF and WLP and once again addressed the President.
“Dr. Genshaft, it is a supreme privilege to be the student speaker at your final WLP Symposium as President,” she said. “As the leader that has made USF what it is today … as a founder of WLP, an organization that has had a tremendous influence on my college career and my life … as an amazing role model and a true Woman of Leadership & Philanthropy, I’d like to say thank you – for everything.” It was one of many highlights at WLP’s signature event, which raised an unprecedented $320,000 Friday. Speakers included WLP Chair Carolyn House Stewart, Esq. ’74; community leader and philanthropist Pamela Muma, talking about The Pamela Muma Women’s Health Center that will soon open its doors at Tampa General Hospital; and WLP Executive Director India Witte. There was also the presentation of WLP’s Community Leadership Award to Liz Kennedy ’80 and WLP’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Liana Fernandez Fox, PhD ’80 & ’98. Each expressed their gratitude following stirring video tributes. “The lives that Liana and Liz have lived really exemplify what WLP is all about – women elevating women,” Witte said. Of course, Genshaft’s final moment at the Symposium podium as USF President was especially memorable, and was greeted by a prolonged standing ovation. Liana Fernandez Fox, PhD ’80 & ’98, Jeannette Walls and Liz Kennedy ’80 savoring the moment. “As part of WLP, we share a common goal,” she said. “That is simply to create and support opportunity to develop the next generation of women leaders … It isn’t any one grant or any one initiative. It is the community that we build – a community that represents everyone in this room, and especially to help women be all that they can be.” And, as the Symposium message also underscored, a community built on the power of hope.
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Words of Hope Help Another WLP Fall Symposium Soar

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