Event Recap
By: Kelsey Au, FCRH ‘26
The professional development workshop led by Fordham Alumni JoAnne Kao was an
incredibly motivating experience for me as I’m sure it was for the other students who attended
the event. When I first received an invitation, I was hesitant and didn’t know what to expect.
However, seeing the event titled “Bravery: What is it? How do we show up for it?” sparked a
curiosity to attend. I was wonderfully surprised at how welcoming and inspiring the dinner was.
JoAnne Kao was a lovely speaker with her own set of admirable accomplishments and
generous character. As an Asian American student at Fordham, I found her recounting her time
here as a student of color comforting. She candidly expressed her struggles as a woman of color
in school, starting from a young age and extending to her time working in a big company. From
this, she opened up the discussion of how bravery uplifts individuals into achieving their full
potential. Before the workshop, we were all asked to submit a hypothetical scenario where
someone stayed silent but may have wished they had spoken up. JoAnne then prompted us to get
into pairs, and a basket of slips of paper with our pre-written hypothetical situations was passed
around. From the scenario, JoAnne wanted us to talk to our partner about what we would do and
what should be done in the situation. My partner and I discussed that taking a step forward
requires bravery, but it’s sometimes challenging to take the initiative.
In the workshop, JoAnne also walked us through being brave about our intentions in
academics and careers. She asked us to write down a time we’ve struggled with accomplishing or
pursuing something because of mental obstruction. Many wrote about the fear of failure or the
pressure of living up to personal and external expectations. I shared my inhibitions toward
starting a task or pursuing an opportunity, and my partner was understanding, relating that he
also struggles with the same feeling. JoAnne was very understanding in our struggles, even
sharing a story about her own fears to show that everybody of all ages struggles with some form
of inhibition or self-consciousness. Through this workshop, JoAnne used group activities and
open, honest discussions to communicate that we are not alone in our insecurities and anxiety.
To end the workshop, JoAnne presented us with one last activity. We all wrote down one
thing we would take away from the workshop and implement in the future. She then went around
the room and asked us to share what we wrote. Each student in the room had a noticeable shift of
motivation and ambition as we announced our newfound confidence and intentions. It was
incredibly empowering!
I am delighted and grateful that this opportunity was presented to me, but furthermore, I
am proud that I took the step toward uplifting myself and finding the determination to achieve
my goals. In addition, I met some lovely students with whom I have connected with through
social media. The workshop reminded me of a famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt: Courage
is not the absence of fear but rather the assessment that something else is more important than
that fear. I want to thank the Center for Ethics Education for organizing this event and JoAnne
Kao for her outstanding contributions as a speaker and an alumni!
Editor: McKenna Kostyszyn
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