The Strength of a Foxcroft Girl

Elizabeth Lester 1988 found her love of architecture and design during Wintermission of her junior year. “It was like, wow, what is this? I had the best time in that class, and it opened my eyes to design…to creating spaces for people. I decided at that time I wanted to go to college for architecture.” Now the Head of Global Store Design and Development at New Balance, Elizabeth shared her career journey with students on Friday, April 21, as she kicked off Foxcroft’s eighth annual Career Day.

After taking the eight-hour entrance exam, Lester learned that, of the 400 students who took the exam, she was one of 80 chosen to attend the College of Architecture at the University of Kentucky. “[It] was a change … not because I went from a school of 170 students to a school of 30,000; that didn't faze me. What fazed me was the day I got to that school. I sat down in my first class with the 80 other people accepted, and there were eight females. Eight. Ten percent of the people they had let in were like me.”

That was when she realized, ”...no matter what I do or how well I work, I'm always going to stand out, and they are potentially going to hold something against me because I'm one of the eight girls. Is that fair? No. But did I learn to deal with it? Yes. I wanted it to be easier for people like you to go to the College of Architecture in the future.”

“I would say going to college and realizing that the strength we talk a lot about, the strength you gain as a Foxcroft girl, will carry with you wherever you go,” she continued. “You may not realize until 35 years later what that strength was or what it gave you, but that strength — Foxcroft helping me learn what my voice was and giving me the confidence to speak my voice — let me sit in that class of 80 people surrounded by 72 men and say ‘I can do this.’ I can do this just like anybody else. Interestingly enough, out of those 80 people, by the end of the year, I think we were down to 55. That's how many people didn't make it a year in architecture school. Only one girl quit; the rest were guys.”

After college, Elizabeth spent the next 20 years following the winding path of her career, from working for free at a small firm that designed residential and liturgical architecture to designing retail spaces for Charlotte Russe, Gap Inc., and ultimately her current position with New Balance.

Elizabeth, who currently serves on the Foxcroft Board of Trustees as the Co-Chair of the Advancement Committee and the Building for Our Future Campaign, also spoke of her more personal journeys, like pausing her career to build a family and her volunteer work. “If you take anything away from this, please take away that whatever you do, your time, your treasure, whatever you're willing to give back, means something. It means a lot.”

In closing, she shared this advice with students, “Foxcroft is this microcosm of what's to come in your life. None of you will have the same journey or career path, nor should you. Remember, there is no correct path other than what is right for you. You can take time off; it's okay to do that. It's okay to make your family your choice. Get a mentor. Find your tribe. Find those groups of people who hold you up, male or female; it doesn't matter. Be a mentor to someone. Set the path for people to come after you, for Foxcroft girls to come after you. Set the path and always give back.” •