By Shannon Brennan
Lynchburg News & Advance

SWEET BRIAR - One young woman sported lime-green stockings and combat boots, while several others teetered precariously on high heels, but all 133 Sweet Briar College graduates wore big smiles Saturday as they officially became alumnae of the all-women's school.

Class President Laura Pearson, an international relations major from Alabama, advised her "peeps" to explore.

"Don't be afraid to meet new people," she said. "Don't be afraid to do new things. Be a dork. Ask tons of questions."

That was just part of the advice the graduates received at the outdoor ceremony, which was spared rain despite threatening skies.

Social critic and feminist author Naomi Wolf also had some specific suggestions for the graduates. Wolf, who co-founded the Woodhull Institute, a nonprofit educational organization that provides leadership training for women, said the way women can change the world is through ethical leadership.

"Young women are often afraid of using all the powers they have inside themselves," said Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth and Fire With Fire.

The secret, Wolf said, is to use that power ethically, which can be difficult in a world that glamorizes pop stars, politicians, and athletes that are often lacking a moral compass.

"If you look at the leaders who've really made a difference in the world, they share seven ethical traits," she said.

Those traits are also reflected in the teachings of the world's major religions, Wolf said. They are kindness, honesty, courage of convictions, generosity, justice, a belief in the equal dignity of all, and peacemaking.

The first tool needed for using those traits successfully is money, Wolf said, noting that some might be surprised by that suggestion. But money, like power, she said, is neutral. It can be used for good or evil.

"Look after your credit rating," she said. "Put your credit cards in ice so you have to thaw them before you can use them."

She advised the graduates to invest $50 a month now, instead of spending it on shoes, and bump that up to $200 a month in mid-career to become rich philanthropists.

The second tool women need is a strong speaking voice: "So many young women have question marks in their voices," she noted.

And thirdly, she advised, dream big.

One of Wolf's dreams came true Saturday as she received the fourth honorary degree ever bestowed by Sweet Briar College. Though she is an international best-selling author, Wolf said her 93-year-old grandmother expects more.

"When are you going to get your doctorate?" she always asks.

Wolf said she would call her grandmother immediately after the ceremony to tell her she now has it.

Other recipients of honorary degrees from Sweet Briar are historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, famed chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall, and violinist Isaac Stern.

Many of Sweet Briar's graduates are already dreaming big.

Meredith Rucker of Amherst, who won the senior prize in visual arts, is joining the Peace Corps with hopes of going to Africa. She will return to art after the volunteer service.

"I want to go to grad school and eventually have my own design business," she said.

Shannon Smith, a graduate from Virginia Beach, plans to intern at Sweet Briar's archaeology department this summer doing Geographic Information System (GIS) work, and is applying for an internship with the Smithsonian Institution.

She said Sweet Briar allows women to find their voice and excel as far as possible.

"I feel like it does encourage leadership skills," she said.

Contact Shannon Brennan at sbrennan@newsadvance.comor (434) 385-5561. For Sweet Briar media inquiries, contact Shannon Wells, SBC media relations coordinator, at (434) 381-6388 or swells@sbc.edu.