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“I kind of flailed around for quite a while, trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” she said. “Like every single woman out there, I too, have been afraid.”
Fiorina revealed past insecurity battles at the College of the Canyons cafeteria filled mostly with women on Saturday. The California Republican gave the keynote speech at the 2010 Women’s Conference, the first ever to be hosted by Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita.
Fiorina is the former chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., making her the first and only woman to lead a Fortune 20 company.
But before it all, Fiorina was an undergraduate student studying medieval history and philosophy at Stanford University who was afraid to step in the wrong direction, she explained to the crowd of women and several men.
Her first scary misstep was law school but it didn’t last long, she said.
“I remember being terrified to go home and tell my parents I quit,” she said. “I (was) a law school dropout with a medieval history and philosophy major and completely unemployable.”
Fiorina started her business career as a receptionist and now carries a long list of business and philanthropic roles. She is the chair of The One Woman Initiative, a fund for women’s empowerment, and is also a recent breast cancer survivor.
“Frankly, nothing scares me anymore after that battle,” she said.
Standing at a podium, she explained that leadership is not about titles, positions or money, but about seizing opportunities.
“We have opportunities here that are unavailable to women anywhere else in the world,” she said.
Fiorina threw some politics into the mix, noting that she would fight on behalf of small-business owners and entrepreneurs if she wins the Senate seat.
“My top priority will be to make sure we fight for every job,” she said.
In a question-and-answer session following her speech, she used her cancer battle to make a political jab at her incumbent opponent.
“After four months of chemotherapy and looking the mirror … Barbara Boxer doesn’t scare me one bit,” she said.
Saugus resident Robin Walter applauded Fiorina’s political points, but said she was surprised to learn of Fiorina’s life challenges.
“I think when you hear somebody’s a billionaire, you assume they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth,” Walter said. “She’s a self-made women; that’s impressive.”
Fiorina’s speech and the conference itself inspired Walter, a local artist and cancer survivor.
“I always thought of myself as having one little niche and that’s what I do,” she said. “It was very inspiring, maybe I can do more.”
McKeon’s office received more than 325 RSVPs to the free event, said spokeswoman Lindsey Mask. The congressman said he hoped women would leave the conference feeling inspired.
“I’m a strong believer in self-improvement,” he said. “I would hope they maybe meet some new friends, and feel better about their prospects going forward.”
The event also included music by Women on the Move and breakout sessions that gave attendees the opportunity to learn about finance, health and nutrition, starting a business and networking from local female leaders.
Dr. Dianne Van Hook of COC gave a speech about pursuing dreams.
Palmdale resident Nannette Barrie enjoyed a session about networking in which career coach Sue Reynolds asked participants to advocate for themselves and their skills.
“It was very powerful,” Barrie said. “I think of lot of times, particularly as women, we have a hard time advocating for ourselves.”
Before the conference drew to a close, a message from Fiorina to “stay true to who you are” elicited the audience’s applause.
“Never sell your soul because no one will pay you back,” she said. “Nothing is worth that loss.”
