In the final act before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton closed the summit, Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep took to the stage to praise the women in the room and the panelists' many achievements.
She then went on to compare herself—"as every woman my age has done"—to Clinton, who shares so many attributes with the film star: They both were raised in middle class families by big-hearted mothers who encouraged them to lead interesting lives. They both went to public schools and on to prestigious all-women colleges, then Yale. "But while I became a cheerleader, Hillary became the president of her class," Streep joked. "And there, the two paths in the woods diverged."
Streep held up her Oscar to illustrate what actresses receive for playing parts well, but, she said, "Hillary is the real deal."
When Clinton emerged onto the stage, the women shared a long embrace—sisters at the top of their fields, inspiring other women of all ages to aspire to the same.