On Oct. 25, alumnae, students, and parents gathered in Alumnae Hall to hear from this year’s Alumnae Achievement Award (AAA) recipients in a panel entitled “Women Leading Change.”

were Karen Grigsby Bates ’73, a best-selling author and award-winning NPR senior correspondent, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson ’99 and Susan Wagner ’82, co-founder of the asset manager BlackRock, all of whom received the award Friday afternoon. 

The three women discussed how Wellesley prepared them to navigate male-dominated industries while serving their communities and addressing emerging global issues. 

Benson highlighted that Wellesley taught her to consider the impact she wanted to have on the world, rather than her personal ambition.

“What Wellesley and being here really inspired me to do … is not to chase a title or a position, but to chase impact,” said Benson.

The three women discussed how they overcame gender barriers and learned to navigate male-dominated industries on the path to their success. 

Bates recalled working in a newsroom full of men, where she had to resist sexism and create opportunities for herself — sometimes with humor. 

When her male coworkers moved her desk out of the main newsroom and away from the flow of important information, she found other ways to stay informed. 

“I set up a candy bowl at my desk,” she said. “Reporters would stop by for a snack, and I’d get all the information I wanted,” Bates said. 

Benson said that even when she was left out of conversations or threatened, she had to learn to “grab the microphone.”

Wagner, on the other hand, said that, as a founding partner of BlackRock, she never felt she needed to fight for power. Instead, she used her position to empower other women. 

Quoting Madeleine Albright ’59, Wagner said, “‘In a society where women often feel pressured to tear each other down, our saving grace lies in our willingness to lift one another up,’” Wagner said. 

Benson agreed that once she had a seat at the table, she wanted to consider who did not. 

“The table analogy is about saying ‘who else?’” Benson said. “Where are the other tables that we’re not seeing, and what can we learn from them?” 

Bates said that as mentors, women can help “open a door for [other women] so they can go out and expand their expertise and help somebody else.” 

As pioneers in their respective fields, the three women spoke about how they believe their industries will have to adapt to meet the world’s changing demands. In a time when so many have stopped reading newspapers or watching news programs, Bates said that media and news outlets will have to accept social media as an important source of information. 

“This is where we are now … and we’ve learned that we’re going to have to meet people where they are. Then put real news on Reddit,” she said. 

Wagner followed Bates, discussing how artificial intelligence (AI) has and will impact business. Addressing many students’ concerns, she said that she believes AI will not phase out entry-level employees, but will offer them new opportunities to be more effective.

“The core competencies are going to change. You are going to expect people to come in and know how to think about working with AI, using it to make themselves more effective,” Wagner said. This will “enable [employees] to bring the human element, to bring more value to it,” she said. 

Looking forward, Benson spoke to how past and future generations inspire her. 

“It’s perseverance, resilience, and a deep recognition that I’m here because those before me didn’t give up. They marched, and they fought, and they bled so that we could build a world where every voice is heard. Now it’s on us to leave something behind for the future.”

Contact the editors responsible for this article: Lyanne Wang and Jessica Chen