Keynote Addresses that are Memorable and Repeatable

“Change happens when perspective changes.”

– Deborah S. Reisdorph, Esq.

Sexual Harassment is still common place on every college campus. Many students are not respecting the boundaries of others, and of those affected, most don’t know the value of the strength of their own Shield (knowing and enforcing their personal boundaries), and they don’t know how to use their Sword (reaching out for help and support). The Spartans in the Movie 300 had two primary weapons, the Shield and the Sword. The Spartan shield was a part of their being, they carried it everywhere and if they returned from battle without it, this was dishonor. Deborah uses this analogy to teach students to be safe by knowing their limits, their boundaries, speaking their boundaries and enforcing their boundaries. Using the shield and sword to provide safety.

Deborah became a sexual harassment attorney because of a most traumatic incident in her first job. Deborah’s story reveals the red flags that young students need to pay attention to in the workplace to avoid falling into similar potholes that Deborah fell into. Yes, our future decisions are determined by the decisions we make today. Growing up as a family on welfare for five years, and with divorced parents, Deborah learned that being an attorney was not just an opportunity for wealthy families, but she could make it happen because she willed it to happen. Every student can do anything they set their mind to do, so long as they keep the goal in mind and make the best decisions they can along the journey. It is in the journey, not in arriving at the destination, that we become who we are.