NON-MEMBER MARCH WWBA NEWSLETTER

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SAVE
THE DATE!
ANNUAL DINNER
~ and ~
INSTALLATION OF
OFFICERS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2024
MAMARONECK BEACH & YACHT CLUB
COCKTAILS 5:30 PM
DINNER 7:00 PM
President’s Message
from page 3
for two to three years in the Northend of Boston. While raising
her own family, my grandmother worked alongside my grandfather,
helping to develop and build a family medical practice,
which they ran from their home. My grandparents provided their
medical services on a sliding scale to help ensure families from
all economic backgrounds could afford medical care. Throughout
her life, whether through nursing or otherwise, my grandmother
passionately strove to help those around her in all facets
of life.
My great grandmother was similarly ahead of her time. She
was one of ten children. Her father did not believe that women
should be educated and forced her to drop out of high school
before her senior year. While in school she had learned how to
type, and quickly utilized this skill to obtain a job as a secretary.
Once married, she engaged in Spanish and French lessons. She
also found ways to give back to society, and for more than forty
years typed braille books, including textbooks for the blind. She
always said she wanted to learn and was also constantly teaching.
She educated me on the importance of kindness. Every time
I visited her, she had me recite a poem that upon further exploration
was written by Henry Burton. The first part of the poem goes
like this: “Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on, pass it
on! Twas not giv’n for thee alone, pass it on, pass it on! Let it
travel down the years, Let it wipe another’s tears; Till in heaven
the deed appears, Pass it on, pass it on.” While my great
grandmother’s message was simple, the message has resonated
with me for years.
The matriarchs in my family are a constant reminder of where
women were three generations ago, and hopefully where women
can be three generations from now. When my grandmother attended
nursing school, women had only just begun enrolling in
medical school. By 2018-2019, according to the Association of
American Medical Colleges, the percentage of women medical
students had risen to 47.9%. Law school enrollment has also
observed similar growth trends. According to a recent study from
the American Bar Association, Jurist reported that in 2023, women
outnumbered men in law school for the eighth year in a row.
The increased percentage of women earning a law degree,
also represents an increased opportunity for women in the words
of Justice Ginsburg to serve as “true professionals.” Justice
Ginsburg also served as a law school professor and often told
her law students that “…if, you are going to be a lawyer and just
practice your profession, you have a skill - very much like a
plumber. But if you want to be a true professional, you will do
something outside yourself…something that makes life a little better
for people less fortunate than you.”
I was recently asked why I accepted my nomination as President
of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association. At the time, I
explained that I viewed the WWBA Presidency as an opportunity
to make a difference in the community around me and to help
others. I went to law school for this very same reason, because I
wanted to do “something that makes life a little better for people
less fortunate than [me].”
It has become evident during my presidency that our mem-
continued on page 8 ➥
Westchester Women’s Bar Association News
Page 7