Remarkable women share their stories as part of Women’s History Month

Young women who helped create a nonprofit in Kenya and the former president of a Fortune 500 company speak at Bryant.

As part of Women’s History Month, the Bryant community had the opportunity to hear the inspiring stories of several remarkable women.

College roommates Leila de Bruyne and Justine Axelsson spoke about Flying Kites Kenya, the nonprofit they created to help improve the lives of the over 100,000 orphaned, homeless, and abused children in Kenya.

Less than a year removed from their college days at Salve Regina University in Newport, the two had enough stories to fill a lifetime when they spoke at the Women’s History Month kick off event on February 27.

When de Bruyne went to Kenya for the first time in 2004 with her older sister, she had visions of visiting the picturesque countryside of Kenya. Unfortunately, that image could not have been farther from the truth.

“I saw poverty I could never have imagined,” she said, recalling her first experience at the By Grace orphanage where she volunteered.

Leila de Bruyne, Flying Kites Kenya

De Bruyne returned to Salve to raise awareness, money, and to recruit volunteers. She has helped raise $100,000 in four years and has been back to Kenya every summer since.

During one visit, she met a retired Kenyan businessman who donated land. Combined with land bought by the nonprofit, it will soon be the site of a new dormitory to house kids in need. The organization is now working to raise the $100,000 needed to build the structure.

“Anyone can do it,” said de Bruyne about following his or her passions and making a difference.

(L-R) Leila de Bruyne and Justine Axelsson with a fellow worker from Flying Kites Kenya

“I hope that the students were able to understand that there is such a thing as good risk taking,” said Toby Simon, assistant to the dean of student affairs and director of the Women’s Center. “Leila demonstrated that notion when, immediately after graduating from college, she went to Kenya to start the orphanage. She followed her heart and her passion and just went for it with a can-do attitude. She was an inspiration to all who heard her talk.”

On March 20, Deborah Pond-Heide, the former president of Adecco, North America and the mother of Bryant Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology Heather Pond Lacey, presented “More Than One Way to Break the Glass Ceiling.”

Deborah Pond-Heide

Pond-Heide started studying art in college in the late 1960s before leaving school to raise her family. She ultimately ended up in business world, working in the fashion industry and then staffing. She advanced at Adecco, the world’s largest staffing company, until she became the first female president of the organization’s North American operations. She retired at 52 to pursue her passion of art and currently runs several galleries.

She encouraged students not to be afraid to pursue an opportunity they are passionate about, even if it will not be easy.

“Do it if it is something you are interested in and your energy will carry you through,” she said.

Professor Lacey hopes her students learned that that success should be measured on their terms.

“The best way to succeed is to figure out who you are and what you’re good at – and to do as much of that as possible,” she says.

Deborah Pond-Heide with her daughter Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology Heather Pond Lacey

Lacey says that while her mother was a very ambitious and hard-working individual, she always instilled in her and her sisters the importance of putting happiness ahead of success.

“That advice has influenced the way I approach life, as well as my professional interests, because now my research focuses on understanding happiness,” she says. “I study what makes people happier and why people are sometimes so wrong when they predict what will make them happy.”

To learn about upcoming Women's History Month events, visit the Women's Center.