Leading the Way; These women have battled to reach positions of power in places ranging from the haute kitchens of France to the corporate ladder at Google and a concert hall in North Korea. In their own words, they tell how they got there.(Cover story)

Newsweek International, December, 2006

Byline: Maria Celeste Arraras, Cynthia Carroll, Sarah Chang, Helene Darroze, Marina Mahathir, Marissa Mayer, Renee Reijo Perra, Gwen Sykes

Maria Celeste Arraras

Broadcast journalist

I was fortunate to grow up in a family with a great passion for excellence. Both my mother and father instilled that in me. They believed that every time you reach a goal you have to raise the bar and go on to the next level. I spent my childhood surrounded by the wonderful academic world because my father was the chancellor of the University of Mayaguez. One time I got a C in school and my father sat me down and said, "In this house, you come in with an A or an F. You have to be either the best of the best or the best of the worst. But never mediocre." And...