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Erin Brokovich scheduled to speak on campus

Consumer advocate and environmental activist Erin Brockovich will visit Tennessee Tech to speak about motivation and personal empowerment Oct. 29 in Derryberry Hall Auditorium at 7 p.m.

The Commission on the Status of Women proposed Brockovich to be their speaker for this semester. The Commission’s chairwoman Julia Baker said Brockovich is regarded as a strong and outspoken woman who has made a difference in the world. Baker said those qualities are what the Commission looks for when choosing a speaker.

“I think women are strong but they are weakened by perceptions of what society thinks they should be,” Baker said. “Hopefully, Erin will show women in Tech’s audience that they can be outspoken and stand up for their rights.”

The Commission has previously presented speakers such as Maya Angelou, a world-renowned author, and Anita Hill, a prominent American figure and attorney. Brockovich’s topics during her presentation discuss the importance of motivation in everyday life and personal strength in all individuals. Brockovich includes her four steps to success and the power of one. She will also discuss “RAM”, which stands for realization, assessment, and motivation.  Anne Thurmond, coordinator of Center Stage Events, said, “I hope that the audience will take away a sense of hope and a positive feeling that they can make a change and a difference.”

Brockovich began her career when she started working as a file clerk at a law firm in California. While working there, she discovered medical records, which, through heavy research, indicated a drinking water contamination with hexavalent chromium.  This discovery led to the largest medical law settlement in American history, which included $333 million to 600 residents in Hinkley, Calif.

Brockovich’s current work includes finding a cause behind the Louisiana Sinkhole and the negative health effects possibly caused by Accutane and its generic versions.

She has also written the New York Times best-seller “Take It From Me: Life’s a Struggle, But You Can Win.”