During Wednesday morning's assembly, Upper School students enjoyed a presentation by guest speaker Karin W. Sarratt, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources, Marketing and Communications Officer at OneAmerica. Karin is also a PT parent; her daughter, Kamryn, graduated in 2018, and her son, Edgar, is a junior.

Karin joined OneAmerica in the fall of 2016 as senior vice president and chief human resources officer. Serving as a member of OneAmerica's Executive Council, she leads the Human Resources, Marketing, Communications and Community Affairs functions for the enterprise. Previously, she was vice president of human resources at Anthem, where she led several human resources and and merger and acquisition initiatives, including diversity and inclusion, talent management and talent acquisition.

Karin began her speech by telling the story of Booker T. Washington joining Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 as the first African American to have dinner in the White House. She spoke of the backlash that both men experienced following that historic moment, and the bravery it takes to be the first to do something.

Karin then shared her story with the students, with examples of the many times that she was the first or only woman of color to fill various business roles. She told of one experience during a trip to Morocco where she was instructed to wait in the lobby because women were not typically involved in business there. Her colleagues sat and waited in the lobby with her; after all, she was in charge of the meeting.

She also gave the students several pieces of advice, including the importance of seeing color and recognizing that it is a significant part of seeing the whole person; ask questions in order to understand others; see positive intent and recognize good in others; and remember that we are all human and make mistakes - being willing to forgive others' errors is essential.