Ursula Burns

Ursula was born in New York City on September 20, 1958. She lived with her single mom and two siblings in the projects. Although she had no contact with her father, her mother did not allow his absence to define Ursula’s future. Her mother worked hard to take care of her family. Speaking to a group in November 2009 Burns said, “We were poor, for sure, but we didn’t know it…which I thought was the miracle of this amazing woman.”

In the end, Ursula’s dedication to school resulted in good grades, which allowed her to attend private school growing up. In preparing for college, she went to her school’s library to look up top-paying jobs for people with math or science degrees. She chose a degree in mechanical engineering and attended Polytechnic Institute of New York and graduate school at Columbia University.

Burns started her career at Xerox in 1980, when she took a summer intern position in the company’s engineering department. As an intern, Ursula caught the attention of the company executives with her tenacity and fearless ability to speak her mind. For the next 20 years, she worked her way up the corporate ladder and proved herself while leading several divisions. In 2007, she was named President of Xerox and just two short years later became the company’s CEO.

This amazing story of triumph despite the odds has a special message for our young women today:

• It does not matter where you are from but where you are going. Focus on your dreams.

• No family is perfect. Don’t obsess over the absence of a parent. Move forward.

• Education is the key to your success. Respect yourself enough to focus on your future.

• Understand the skills you offer to an employer. Have confidence and be yourself.

• The only limit imposed is by you. Hard work and dedication will take you anywhere.

So, don’t forget to tell our daughters, our young women, the stories that empower and lead them to know that anything is possible if they simply try.

Shaheewa Jarrett Gelin is the president and CEO of the Youth Survivors Foundation, Inc., a local non-profit providing education and life skills services for at-risk youth between the ages of 15-25. For questions or comments about the column, email sjarrett@ysfi.org. Visit www.ysif.org.