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When I combined my love of travel and photography to benefit humanity, everything changed and my life came together.
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Camera — and Heart — in Hand Dede Pickering Bossidy ’71 For more than 40 years, starting immediately upon her graduation with a trip to Africa accompanied by a small group of classmates and chaperoned by the late ”Miss Margaret” Lee, Dede Pickering Bossidy ’71 has been traveling the world. And from the beginning, she has witnessed firsthand the struggles of people in marginalized communities. ”For me, that first trip was life changing even though I didn’t realize it at the time,” says Pickering. ”Looking back, it was my inspiration, leading me up mountains and down rivers and to remote corners of the world.
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”Recording what I see has given me increased empathy and connection to the world,” notes the Bay Head, NJ, resident. Pickering’s camera serves as a bridge — not a barrier — to her subjects, allowing her to step into the shoes of those she photographs and document their hope and despair, as well as the beauty and roughness of the developing world. The plight of women and children as seen through the lens of her camera became a driving force in Pickering’s life, and helping them became her passion. Pickering began to advocate for women’s education. She aligned herself with nongovernmental agencies that shared her vision for a better world. She founded and chaired for many years the Women’s Initiative of New York for CARE, which has as its mission to raise funds and awareness on behalf of our global sisters. She traveled to Kosovo, India, Guatemala, and many other places to work with CARE, documenting her work in the field with vivid photographs. In turn, she would come home and give presentations about what she had seen to groups of various types, rallying interest and support for CARE’s work. Pickering has returned to India as a board member on behalf of Women’s World Banking, which provides small loans primarily to women to start businesses and lift themselves out of poverty. She has also served on the Advisory Committee for CARE’s Campaign for Education and helped spread the CARE Women’s Initiative to other cities around the U.S.
”When I combined my love of travel and photography to benefit humanity, everything changed and my life came together,” she says. ”Being involved in non-governmental charity work on behalf of women and children worldwide added purpose and meaning to my life and to my photography. ” With more than 100 countries and six continents under her belt, Pickering is an inveterate traveler, an exceptional photographer (see her work at www.dedepickering.com), and a relentless advocate for women’s education. And it all began with her trip to Africa with her Foxcroft classmates. ”That trip to Africa opened my eyes and laid the foundation for me to flourish in the world without prejudice,” Pickering says. ”The education I received at Foxcroft extended beyond the classroom and beyond even graduation. ” So, too, has her belief in the importance of girls’ education and the value of single-sex education has been cemented through her travels and work with nonprofits. ”I know now that I have a responsibility to all girls and I can’t imagine them not having the same opportunity that I had,” says Pickering. ”That’s why I said yes when I was asked to serve on the Board of Trustees, and it’s why I have included Foxcroft in my estate planning. And, she adds, ”I truly hope others will follow in my footsteps.”
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