New School, New Role Model
Michelle was attracted to Princeton, in part, because her brother, Craig, was already enrolled there and had quickly become a star on the basketball team, much to their father's delight.
So Michelle wasn't completely alone when she first stepped foot on the university's pristine New Jersey campus.
But that doesn't mean the campus felt like a second home. Far from it, in fact.
On her first day at Princeton, Michelle dropped off her belongings in her dormroom and looked out her window to see a wave of students – mostly white, mostly male – lugging their belongings across campus.
This was a new feeling for Michelle, to be somewhere where she was one of the only nonwhite people.
In fact, Michelle's freshman class was less than 9 percent Black.
It was, in her words, like being a poppy seed in a bowl of rice.
But despite some initial discomfort, she did find a supportive community in the campus organization known as the Third World Center (TWC).
And when she began working as the assistant to the woman who ran the TWC, Michelle also gained an inspirational mentor.
https://s3foundation.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/b893571e2189f5c207a2993dd6f3c3c8.png , Michelle's new boss, was a bold and beautiful young Black woman who was always on the move.
Often seen sprinting from one meeting to the next, with a stack of papers under her arm and a cigarette dangling from her lips, Czerny was exciting, indefatigable, a force of nature. And she did it all while being a single mom.
Czerny was particularly impressive during a trip to New York City.
Michelle had never been to the Big Apple, and it filled her with wonder and concern.
Horns honked. People shouted. Everything moved at a high and hectic pace.
But Czerny was not only unfazed by all this bustling madness; she seemed recharged by its energy.
She zipped the car around taxis and jaywalkers, double-parked, ran in and out of stores, and made it all look like it was no big deal.
At one point, when double parking wasn't an option, Czerny had Michelle take the wheel, telling her to drive around the block a couple times so she could run an errand.
Michelle was a bit shocked at first.
But then she saw the expression on Czerny's face and jumped into the driver's seat.
The expression Czerny gave her said, “Get over it and just live a little.”
Michelle majored in sociology at Princeton, and she planned to apply to Harvard Law School.
But she learned a great deal about life from Czerny.
Michelle knew that, one day, she wanted to be a working mom – and Czerny was the perfect example of how this could be done with grace and style.
New School, New Role Model
Michelle was attracted to Princeton, in part, because her brother, Craig, was already enrolled there and had quickly become a star on the basketball team, much to their father's delight.
So Michelle wasn't completely alone when she first stepped foot on the university's pristine New Jersey campus.
But that doesn't mean the campus felt like a second home. Far from it, in fact.
On her first day at Princeton, Michelle dropped off her belongings in her dormroom and looked out her window to see a wave of students – mostly white, mostly male – lugging their belongings across campus.
This was a new feeling for Michelle, to be somewhere where she was one of the only nonwhite people.
In fact, Michelle's freshman class was less than 9 percent Black.
It was, in her words, like being a poppy seed in a bowl of rice.
But despite some initial discomfort, she did find a supportive community in the campus organization known as the Third World Center (TWC).
And when she began working as the assistant to the woman who ran the TWC, Michelle also gained an inspirational mentor.
https://s3foundation.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/b893571e2189f5c207a2993dd6f3c3c8.png , Michelle's new boss, was a bold and beautiful young Black woman who was always on the move.
Often seen sprinting from one meeting to the next, with a stack of papers under her arm and a cigarette dangling from her lips, Czerny was exciting, indefatigable, a force of nature. And she did it all while being a single mom.
Czerny was particularly impressive during a trip to New York City.
Michelle had never been to the Big Apple, and it filled her with wonder and concern.
Horns honked. People shouted. Everything moved at a high and hectic pace.
But Czerny was not only unfazed by all this bustling madness; she seemed recharged by its energy.
She zipped the car around taxis and jaywalkers, double-parked, ran in and out of stores, and made it all look like it was no big deal.
At one point, when double parking wasn't an option, Czerny had Michelle take the wheel, telling her to drive around the block a couple times so she could run an errand.
Michelle was a bit shocked at first.
But then she saw the expression on Czerny's face and jumped into the driver's seat.
The expression Czerny gave her said, “Get over it and just live a little.”
Michelle majored in sociology at Princeton, and she planned to apply to Harvard Law School.
But she learned a great deal about life from Czerny.
Michelle knew that, one day, she wanted to be a working mom – and Czerny was the perfect example of how this could be done with grace and style.
#NewSchoolNewRoleModel