SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 | THE MEREDITH HERALD • Educating Women to Excel \ VOL XXVI • ISSUE III
President
Addresses
Nation’s Students
(SEE PAGE 2)
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Photo Courtesy http://www.meredlth.edu/campus-theme/frank-warren.htm
FRANK WARREN AT
MEREDITH COLLEGE
Jillian Curtis
Staff Writer
On Wednesday, September 9th Post^e-
cret creator Frank Warren came to Meredith
College to discuss the PostSecret project.
IHis arrival was highly anticipated by the
Meredith community, many of whom have
seen his website and read his books. .
“It was so exciting to see Frank Warren;'’-
commented sophomore Codi Weber. “Post-
Secret books are awesomel"
PostSecret is a project that was created
by Warren in 2004. The idea behind Post-
Secret is that people from around the world
can write down their deepest secrets on a
post card and send thetn to Frank Warren,
a man whom they have never mef„VVhieri
Warren first got started, he handed out post
cards to strangers in Washington DC and
asked them to tell him a secret as long as
it met the following criteria: 1) it must be
taie, and 2) it must something that no one
knows. After a few weeks, Warren received
an incredible response, and before long
post cards kept flowing in from around the
world. Warren tlien started posting these .
secret weekly on his website, and some of
those secrets have even made it into one of
his four (soon to be five) books. By sending
in their secrets, many people feei.revived
. and fr6e from carrying their burden. Secrets
can be funny, sad, trivial, or serious.
While presenting.at Meredith, Warren
discussed the importance of PostSecret.
He explained that the process of letting .
go" of a secret is very invigorating. He also
says by reading^other peoples secrets,
individuals connect arid realize that they'
are not alone. The PostSecret project is
very special, and many Meredith Students
commented that PostSecret has been a
very big support system for them during
rough times.
. In April of 2008, Warren joined forces
' with the suicide hotline, 1-800-suicide, to
help the organization reach out into the.
community and lend a hand to those in
need. At the time, the suicide hotline was in
danger of closing. Knowing of its impor
tance, Warren posted a video on his blog,
asking PostSecret.fans to send in donations
to the suicide hotline to help keep it run
ning. Because of this message, the suicide
hotline was able to stay afloat. Wan'en also
made a point to speak at numerous college
campuses to help students who were think
ing about suicide and to offer support via
. PostSecret or the suicide hotline.
One of the most popular parts of the lec
ture was when Meredith students were in
vited to share their own secrets and stories.
Everyone who got up to share their secret
was very much supported by the audience,
and many individuals were touched by their
courage to speak up.
It was really inspiring to hear students
tell their secrets,” stated sophomore Erica
Bader.
Meredith College had also been prepar
ing for Warren’s lecture weeks in advance
by offering a mini Meredith PostSecret. -
project. Students were invited to write down
their own secrets and drop them into boxes
located in several locations on campus,
including the dining hall and the Cate Cen
ter. Many students took advantage of this
unique opportunity and told'a secret that
they had kept hidden for far too long.
Warren’s lecture was the first of Mer
edith’s BCBShjC lectures of the year. Each
year the college has a lecture series that is
sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield
of North Carolina. These lecture series
are a very important part of our campus,
and always have a conri&ction to the an
nual college theme. This year the theme
is “Catalyst for Change.” in addition to
Frank Warren, Meredith will host two tpore
speakers. First, on Febnjary 23rd, Pulitzer
Prize-winning journalist, Ellen Goodman
will speak about her career as one of the
most irnportant female journalists of pur
time. Last in tiie series on April 21 is Ellen
Goodman, founder of Susan G. Komen for.
the Cure, the largest nonprofit organization
dedicated to fighting against breast cancer.
All of these speakers will help Meredith
students recognize the importance of
advocating change. Frank Warren’s lecture
helped kick of the series and was very well
received by the Meredith community.
If you're a fan of PostSecret, make
sure to check out his weekly blog at www.
postsecretbiog.com. Be on the lookout for
his new book PostSecrets: Confessions on
Life, Death & God.
S-X
m
Green Tip for
the Week of
September 16
Buying too much hair
products than what is
necessary contributes to
pollution when thinling
about the production and
transportation of the plastic
bottles they come in. Find
ways to reduce the amount
of product you use in your
hair and not only will it save
the environment, but it will
also save you money.