Celebrating women, at Silicon Speech!
President Steve gave us a warm welcome. He also had some news to share.
Dues are due! You should have received a PayPal invoice. Only $45.00 for the next 6-month term! It’s the best buy in self-improvement! You can also pay with Venmo – @Steven-Evans-92 or cash, check or the barter system (bag of wheat, bushel of corn, etc.). (kidding).
Second news flash. During our officers meeting on Tuesday. Blake so kindly offered a room that our physical meetings can meet in person once a week. Hopefully by April, we can have 1 of 3 meetings in a physical space. We will have a set up where our members online can attend.
Third big announcement, Hema completed her level two in Pathways, Presentation Mastery. Round of applause for Hema! Awesome Job!
The Joke Master was Steve. Steve brushed off his “Dad Joke” book, and shared some classics.
Thought of the Day was by Li.
Toastmaster was Lou. He ran the meeting smooth as butter.
Karan was the Ah counter. Not one Ah or Um slipped through the cracks. Good job!
Grammarian was Liz. She chose the word “nettlesome”. It means annoyance or difficulty. Great word!
Chief evaluator was myself.
First and only Speaker was Lora. Lora talked about astrology. Her new relationship with her boyfriend made her wonder if they were compatible astrologically. Turns out, they are! Even though they have opposite traits, this is why their partnership works so well. Lora gave us a quick rundown of how the time of your birth can describe certain traits. She shared some sites to check out. Great speech Lora! Loved the personal touch.
By popular vote, we had an extended Table Topics.
Antonio was our Table Topics Speaker. He chose the theme “International Women’s Day”. Very fitting!
A woman who inspired Karan? Karan had plenty of strong women in his life. His mother and his aunt stood out.
A female role model for Hema? Her cousin stood out. Hema didn’t realize it at the time, but she’s always been inspired by her love and encouragement.
Who would you want to be past or present? Shar had the opportunity to spend the day with Jackie Kennedy. Many may not know this, but the First Lady was very funny and charming. Great answer Shar!
How to improve gender equality? In my experience, I haven’t really witnessed gender inequality. Working in Los Angeles, and with the city. Most if not all high authority positions have been women of all nationalities. From the CEO, Head of HR, to Regional managers. They were all women. At the time, Men in authority were few.
Who challenged gender roles? Kenzii mentioned running for school president. Her opposition were the “jocks” of the school. Ultimately, she won because she shared milk and cookies. It’s all in the details to win over her constituents. Love that answer!
What did you want to be when you grew up? Liz said she wanted to be a brain surgeon. Status, money and stability was her goal. After a meltdown trying to log on for a pre-med class many years ago. She dropped that dream. Luckily, Liz later became a software engineer and showed that old main frame who’s boss!
A gender equality movement? Li mentioned the voting rights for women. The Suffrage movement was a big step for women in the US. Li still see’s the inequality in his career field of Software Engineers. Hiring women is more of a priority nowadays.
Steve believes everyone of every background should have an opportunity to thrive. Steve also mentioned Toastmasters was an all male organization in the 70’s. Helen Blanchard sneakily joined and later became the Toastmaster International President. Talk about progress! Love that note.
A woman in history that inspired Rafael? A French sculpture by the name of Camille Claudel. Rafael discovered her work while studying art some years ago. He learned she lived in her husband’s shadow who was a famous artist. She was a big inspiration and her work still resonates with him today.
Lou was inspired by a female high-school teacher who taught psychology. She instilled an idea that will forever be in his mind. Someone out there may be the next Einstein, but lack of resources will not allow them to achieve their full potential. In that sense, humanity will miss out on all their achievements.
Shaun is a firm believer in exposing every child to what can be. Some of his computer science students have made his job difficult because they excelled beyond expectation. Shaun see’s that we are heading in the right direction.
That’s all from me. Big thank you to Lora for her fun and personal speech about astrology. We have lots to look into. Thank you Antonio for choosing International Women as the theme for Table Topics. Definitely kept us thinking about all the amazing women who shaped us and the world.
It’s daylight savings time! Don’t forget to change those ancient clocks. If you’re all digital, do nothing.
See you next time!