CBS Vice President visits LEAP to speak to students 03/31/10

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Rebecca Borden, an attorney and Senior Vice President of the CBS Corporation, was a special guest speaker at LEAP Academy high school on March 26th. 

Borden, who was invited to talk with LEAP juniors about college and career opportunities, offered students some insight into the CBS media corporation and explained the unorthodox (but successful) career path that led her from New Jersey to New York and around the globe. 

A New Jersey native, Borden graduated from Rutgers–New Brunswick and The Law School at Rutgers–Camden, where she was Editor of the Rutgers Law Journal.  Later she earned a Rotary Scholarship which funded her post graduate studies in Australia.  “It was probably the best decision I ever made.  I built a new network [of contacts], learned new laws, and earned a new degree,” Borden said. 

She got her start working on intellectual property law—copyrights, brands, and trademarks—and explained to students the importance of her work protecting the visual representations of CBS: the letters ‘CBS’ and its logo. 

Borden also spoke about the ways that new technology and social media, namely YouTube, sometimes violate the copyrights held by CBS when users upload entire TV shows without consent.  Students asked dozens of questions about the company and about Borden’s own successes and obstacles.  She said her greatest difficulty has been “self doubt.”

“It’s not easy to step away from what you think might be the most lucrative career path,” Borden said of her choice to move to Australia.  “But for me it’s been a really amazing business career; it could be the best decision you can make.” 

The event was coordinated by the Rutgers/LEAP College Access Center and arranged with the help of Sara Borden, Rebecca’s sister and an English teacher at LEAP Academy.