A Legacy of Women in Leadership with the Crawford Gordon ‘56 Speaker Series

On Thursday, April 18th, Chantal Ramsay ‘74, Georgina Black ‘85, Amber Kanwar ‘04, Margaret Coons ‘08, and Vida Han ‘19 confidently took to the Mandeville stage in a panel-type presentation. They each took turns sharing their unique experiences as women of Ridley College with current upper schoolers. Each alumna has accomplished impressive feats since graduation. However, it was also made clear that, despite their accomplished backgrounds, they have faced considerable challenges as women in their respective fields of journalism, diplomacy, specialty, entrepreneurship, and further.

Hearing the stark difference in experience between Chantal Ramsay, one of the first of five young women to attend Ridley College, and Vida Han, the most recent graduate in this group of guests, was eye-opening.

During Ramsay’s time at Ridley, Dean’s House was a girl’s house! She mentioned the phrase ‘breaking glass ceilings’ to comment on the waves of change she and her fellow female classmates sent throughout the school. The current women of Ridley have them to thank for having served the role of ‘guinea pigs’ in what seemed to be the riskiest possible experiment the school would ever harbor. Ramsay noted that she and the other four young women were either put on a pedestal or wholly ignored; the Dean’s common room was one of their only safe havens on campus.

Athletics, which are currently incredibly important to the school’s community and mission, were unfortunately scarce for the girls — though, perhaps, this is further to the point that much has changed since their time here.

Vida Han’s experience was — of course — much more similar and relatable to that of current Ridleians. Han received significant laughter from the IB students in the audience as she shared a few of her memorable (stressful) moments as a student of the IBDP. With a relatively stabilized girl-to-boy ratio and eager female students involved at every turn, some might say that the experiment of ‘73 yielded more than promising results. However, one thing each guest had in common for sure was their shared sadness at hearing of the loss of the magnolia tree.

One key takeaway from the inspiring panel surrounded the notion of ‘laziness.’ Each guest reflected on their time at Ridley, and a few mentioned that they wished they had branched out and tried new areas or hobbies like theater, public speaking, or different sports. They advised students to avoid laziness but touched on the fine line between being productive and burning yourself out; burning out becomes very easy to occur as a busy high schooler who is constantly trying to improve your resume and percentage chances of post-secondary success. There is something to be said about working “brighter,” not harder.

On feminism, many current Ridleians asked the panel a range of questions about women in entrepreneurship, the panel’s opinions on women’s rights, and much more. Kanwar delivered an inspiring response: “There is room for all women to succeed. There’s a certain perception that we always have to make space for ourselves to be seen, but sometimes, it’s just about recognizing the space that’s already there.” Kanwar’s statement, said amidst a celebratory evening of these five women of Ridley, resonated with the audience and rang true. The proof stood before us in the form of the five accomplished, independent, successful, intelligent women who had each carved their path.

Additionally, all five guests agreed that while some traditions of the school are certainly unique (some dare say ‘cultish’), these are the experiences that make Ridley so special to Old Ridleians. Snake Dance, the Cross-Country Run, the annual Cadet Inspection, and a heap of other age-old events that only Ridleians can relate to are what sets our school apart. Each class creates cherished memories that unite students of both past and present generations, causing them to never forget they walked the hallowed halls of our beloved school.