Mason Reads

Soccer Champion Abby Wambach inspires students to level-up and lead at Mason Reads

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Soccer Champion Abby Wambach inspires students to level-up and lead at Mason Reads Mariam Aburdeineh Tue, 09/29/2020 - 01:00

Abby Wambach (top left), Mason President Gregory Washington (top right), Director of Mason's Contemporary Student Services Emilie Dubert (bottom middle).

Members of the ��ӽ紫ý community learned about leadership and activism from world soccer champion, double Olympic gold medalist and author Abby Wambach at Mason Reads on Monday afternoon.

More than 400 attendees watched the virtual event held in partnership with Fall for the Book. The discussion and Q&A moderated by Mason President Gregory Washington focused on Wambach’s book “Wolfpack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game.” It also touched on leadership, activism, women’s rights and pay equity, and making the most of life’s opportunities.

“True activism is about figuring out what breaks your heart the most,” Wambach said.

For Wambach, being an advocate for women’s equality was “sheer necessity,” she said. When Wambach received the 2016 ESPYS Icon Award with athletes Peyton Manning and the late Kobe Bryant, she realized they were walking into very different retirements.

“Their biggest concern was where they were going to invest their hundreds of millions of dollars, and my concern was how I was going to pay my mortgage,” Wambach said. “Knowing that this was happening to me, I had to know and accept…that this was happening to every woman on the planet…in every job, in every industry.”

This realization helped Wambach not only work to solve inequalities, she said, but also to inspire women to be their authentic selves and grow stronger together.

Wambach’s book is based on her 2018 commencement speech at Barnard College and outlines eight rules women can use to change their lives and the world. One of those includes making failure one’s fuel.

In the current pandemic and struggling economy, President Washington asked Wambach how students can create such fuel from the challenges they face.

“You can focus all of your energy about what the whole adult world [and] governments have done to make this hard for you,” Wambach said, “or you can start thinking about this as one of the most unique opportunities [to learn and focus on what is important to you].”

Wambach also encouraged students to embrace challenges to “level up.”

“If you want to be the president of a college…if you want to be a soccer player, if you want to be an investment banker, you’re going to have to go through some discomfort to get there,” Wambach said. “[To] have the life you want to have, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices, and you’re going to have to level up along the way.”

For students, the opportunity to hear from Wambach was motivational.

“[Wambach] is a role model to me,” said freshman Jacqueline Mack. “Her book inspired me, brought me to tears, and encouraged me to work harder and fight for what I believe in everyday. I thought this was an awesome opportunity to engage with her.”

“What I loved most about listening to Abby is that she is solution-oriented,” Mack said. “Abby’s message is that there is so much you can do to solve [problems] even in your own community. I learned so much from her in that regard.”

Abby Wambach and President Gregory Washington.

Office of the President

Campus News

Olympic gold medalist and soccer champion Abby Wambach to speak at Mason Reads

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 11:00:38 +0000

Olympic gold medalist and soccer champion Abby Wambach to speak at Mason Reads Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 09/24/2020 - 07:00

Abby Wambach. Photo by MAKERS.

World-renowned soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and author Abby Wambach will virtually chat with ��ӽ紫ý President Gregory Washington and the campus community for this year’s Mason Reads program on Monday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m.

The virtual event in partnership with Fall for the Book will be moderated by President Washington and explore the themes of Wambach’s 2019 book, “Wolfpack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game.”

“We really hope that our students and the Mason community as a whole will be able to learn more about leadership, learn more about women’s leadership, in particular, and think about how these ideas can apply to their own lives,” said Emilie Dubert, director of Mason’s Contemporary Student Services.

Through Mason Reads, all incoming freshmen received a virtual copy of “Wolfpack” and are encouraged to attend the virtual discussion and Q&A. Throughout the year, the book will also be integrated into programs, events, and classroom activities.

Having the freshman class read the book together helps create a sense of community and shared experience, Dubert said.

The books selected by Mason Reads also reflect the ideals of the Mason graduate.

“This book fit right into that mold of creating students who are prepared to act,” Dubert said. “The idea of ‘Wolfpack’ is that women in particular can really work together, support and push one another and go out of their comfort zone to move forward together; and the ‘pack’ strengthens communities—men and women—as a whole.”

Wambach’s book is based on her 2018 commencement speech at Barnard College and is accessible for students to read in both its length and content, Dubert said.

“It’s not just a book for women, but it really is a book that people can take a lot from no matter what your gender,” Dubert said. “I hope that [Mason Reads attendees] would gain the courage and confidence to step up and lead.”

Follow this link to register for Mason Reads with Abby Wambach.

Mason Reads brings award-winning author Adichie to campus

Colleen Rich — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 19:28:43 +0000

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