WASHINGTON — Newly minted U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos made her debut Wednesday at the agency she now oversees with a call for unity, a bit of self-deprecating humor, and a thoughtful emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
“Diversity may be viewed as cliche, but I believe that getting to know, working with, befriending and including people who are different from ourselves is enriching and expanding,” DeVos told the scores of staffers assembled for her afternoon talk in an auditorium at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Education Building.
“And if we model it ourselves, how much easier will it be to encourage students to do the same?”
DeVos takes the reins at the Education Department after what she acknowledged was a rocky start.
“For me personally, this confirmation process and the drama it engendered has been a … bit of a bear,” DeVos said in a comedic nod to the jokes that followed her confirmation hearing when she said some schools might need firearms to protect students from grizzly bears in response to a question about whether guns had any place in schools.
But DeVos also sounded a tone of optimism that — despite the animosity that ensued from the election, as well as the continuing political battles that are playing out as the administration of President Donald J. Trump seeks to implement new policies — the nation could come together for the greater good.
“Let’s acknowledge: We’ve just come through one of the most bruising, divisive elections in modern times,” DeVos said. “And that’s okay. Our republic is resilient. We as a people are resilient.
