by Steph Salazar, Career Development Manager, College
Fair Fight founder and former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams made headlines during the 2020 presidential election. Abrams built a “well-funded network of organizations that highlighted voter suppression in the state and inspired an estimated 800,000 residents to register to vote.” (Hakim, Saul, & Thrush, 2021)
This book was the perfect accompaniment to a Leadership in Management class I took at the University of Washington. As a fellow University of Texas at Austin Longhorn, I was elated to have the honor of reading it.
Abrams takes readers through her impressive career trajectory beginning at Spelman College, through entrepreneurship, and becoming the first woman minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, leading up to her 2018 gubernatorial campaign in Georgia. Part memoir, part self-help handbook, it reads like speaking to an old friend providing tangible advice about the power of mentorship, building networks deep and wide, and taking power.
At Rainier Scholars, career development is grounded on highlighting the intricate combination of the physical (resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles) and figurative tools (leadership, authenticity, integrity) needed to navigate the world of work as a person of color.
Abrams helps us understand that we, too, can lead from the outside.