Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 16, 1994 TAG: 9405160071
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Women will hold key roles because they are natural communicators and strive for unity, because they respect diverse opinions and negotiate rather than demand, she said.
As keynote speaker at Sunday's 152nd commencement at Hollins College, Penon spoke of the changing and decisive role women hold today.
"While men held a comparative advantage over women when history was being written on the battlefields, today, in an era characterized by peace, democracy and consensus, dialogue and negotiation, the comparative advantage belongs to women," she said.
She challenged the graduates of the private women's college to help shape the future with thoughtful action.
"We have long been the victims of a popular yet erroneous precept that divides the world into two groups of people: Those who think and those who act," she said. "Life could never be that simple."
As adviser to the U.N. Secretary General for the World Conference on Women and former first lady of Costa Rica, Penon is credited with shaping the feminine agenda in her country.
A graduate of Vassar College in New York, she was the first woman in Costa Rica to run for the presidency. Her husband, Oscar Arias Sanchez, served as president from 1986 to 1990 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.
Penon was defeated in her presidential bid, but brought attention to the plight of women in Costa Rica and the world.
On Sunday, Penon said that while women are increasingly accepted as leaders, they also are often closely associated with poverty and social marginalization.
"How can this paradox be explained and how is it perpetuated? But, most importantly, what must we do to close the gap that exists not only between men and women, but among women themselves?" she asked.
"Even, even as we look to those women who have succeeded for guidance and motivation, we must look to those women who are oppressed for courage and determination," she said. "Let our hopes inspire us, let our resolve strengthen us and let the movement continue."
Penon is a perfect example of how women are making headway in different leadership roles, said senior Kristin Jeffries, 22, as she prepared for graduation ceremonies.
"It's true that, yes, women entering the work force now have it better than those 20 or 30 years ago," she said. "But there are still the same stereotypes and the same obstacles . . . Hopefully she can inspire us to look beyond those obstacles."
More than 1,800 people attended Sunday's commencement in which 204 women received bachelor of arts degrees and 40 men and women were awarded master's degrees.
The road ahead is an uncertain one, said senior Susanna Woods Person, who was selected by her peers as class speaker.
"I'm still afraid of someone asking me what I'm going to do next year," she said in her speech. "I have no idea. But that's the whole excitement of it. We are on the verge of shedding these robes and hats for another costume . . . another career, another way of thinking."
by CNB