Alum Association | Mount Holyoke College

Alum Association | Mount Holyoke College Alum Association Welcome Home! The Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College is an independent organization that uplifts Mount Holyoke alums and builds community that fosters lifelong learning and empowers impactful connections. You are part of a community of alums supporting each other and committed to the future of Mount Holyoke College. Forged in dissent: Raise your voice for MHC Mount Holyoke stands as a beacon of bold, values-driven education. Our community thinks critically, acts courageously, and leads with purpose. In a time of deep division and disruption, our commitment to our mission is unwavering. Visit our webpage to share updates, discover ways to make an impact and learn how Mount Holyoke is advocating for our community. One of the most powerful ways to support MHC now is with a gift to the MHC Forward Fund , empowering President Holley and College leadership to meet higher education’s biggest challenges with strength and agility. Quick links Read the Mount Holyoke College Alum Magazine Update your contact info Request a transcript Give to the Founder’s Fund Send your news The Mount Holyoke Experience Ways to engage Connect Use The Gates to grow your professional and personal networks and find Mount Holyoke community no matter where you are. Volunteer Today Share your expertise, get involved and have fun. Give Participation in giving — at the level that’s right for you — helps Mount Holyoke to thrive. Explore Lifelong Learning Opportunities The Gates The Gates is a space to easily connect, build relationships, and exchange information. Offer or receive career advice, post or seek jobs and internships, join career and interest-based groups, and grow your professional network. Travel Program Established in 1973, the travel program offers opportunities for alums to continue their lifelong journey of learning in the company of alums. In 50 years, more than 1,500 alums have traveled with us around the world and in the United States. Join us! Join Special Events & Initiatives Reunion Each May, alums return to campus to celebrate each other and all things Mount Holyoke. From the Laurel Parade to back-to-class, there's no shortage of the uniquely Mount Holyoke blend of tradition and fun at Reunion. Start planning your trip now! Mountain Day Reunions Meredith Nelson ’11 started this annual tradition in the fall of 2011. Alums around the world take time out from their busy lives to meet up and celebrate fall and Mount Holyoke with each other in local ice cream shops. Holiday Vespers A popular and well-loved annual December concert featuring musical performances from a variety of religious traditions that alternates between Boston and New York City and is hosted by the local Mount Holyoke clubs with support from the Alum Association. Berries and Bubbly The Alum Association and the Office of Development host graduates from the senior class, toast their accomplishments and welcome them into the worldwide alum community. Welcome Ceremony for New Alums Established by the Class of 1961 in 2011 to welcome new graduates into the worldwide community of MHC alums. During reunion alums celebrating their 50th reunion bestow members of the graduating class with a silk scarf in their class color. Conferences & Symposia Mount Holyoke Alum Symposium in Asia Since 2014, the Alum Symposium in Asia has brought alums together, featuring panels, talks, discussions and conversations. Check back for information on upcoming plans for our next gathering. Black Alum Conference Created in 1973, the tri-annual Black Alum Conference is organized by the Black Alum Society and centers the work of Black alums in transforming our communities and the world and recognizes alums demonstrating leadership and activism in their work and lives. European Alum Symposium Since 1987, the biennial European Alum Symposium, organized by the Mount Holyoke European Alum Council, has featured a week of intellectual and social opportunities for alums from all over the world. Locations have included Paris, Seville, Riga and Athens. Celebrate the Community Awards The Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College recognizes the unique accomplishments of alums through several distinguished awards. Learn about the awards and our past winners. Recommend an Alum Our award committees take tremendous care and conduct extensive research in selecting award recipients through an objective vetting process, with awards given at the discretion of the Association Board of Directors. Your recommendations are critical in identifying potential candidates. 2025 Alum Awards Join us in celebrating the Alum Association’s 2025 Alum Award winners, honoring remarkable alums for excellence, leadership, and service to community, profession, and the College. Resources Campus news Stay up-to-date with everything that is happening on campus. Mount Holyoke College Alum Magazine Enjoy the most recent issue and catch up on any issues you've missed. Career Development Center Next level career resources for alums who have graduated in the last five years. Alum Fellowships Thanks to generous gifts from alums, the Alum Association and the College offer a small number of fellowships annually to Mount Holyoke College graduates and students in their senior year. Send Your News Have news to share with your classmates? The class notes section of the Mount Holyoke College Alum Magazine occupies about forty pages—or half—of every issue and keeps readers connected to each other and to Mount Holyoke and the Alum Association. Upcoming events for alums More events for alums Happening at Mount Holyoke Alums in the news Fighting food insecurity in memory of her grandmother Mount Holyoke College student Oluwafadeyemi Testimony Akinkuolie-Ibidapo ’27 is an awardee of this year’s Project for Peace grants from Middlebury College. She will launch a year-round food pantry in her hometown. Tags: Activism and Social Justice Alum Awards and Honors BIPOC Fellowships International Staff Student Understanding science in English and Spanish Cerebro 101 is an initiative led by Mount Holyoke College faculty Marta Sabariego and Nieves Romero-Díaz that teaches dual-language elementary students about neuroscience and behavior. Tags: Academic Excellence Alum BIPOC Community-based learning Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Humanities MHC Forward Science & Technology Student Beverly Guy-Sheftall named Mount Holyoke’s Commencement speaker Trailblazing Black feminist scholar Beverly Guy-Sheftall will be the primary speaker at the Mount Holyoke College Commencement. Two extraordinary Mount Holyoke alums, Leslie Anne Miller ’73 and Maria Z. Mossaides ’73, will also be honored. Tags: Academic Excellence Alum BIPOC Commencement Traditions and Annual Events Women’s College Explore More News Our trailblazing community Chmba Ellen Chilemba Class of 2017 Producer-DJ artist, named in Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Read Chmba’s story Candy Alexandra González Class of 2014 Multidisciplinary visual artist, poet, activist and trauma-informed educator Read Candy’s story Lan Cao Class of 1983 Author of “Monkey Bridge” and “The Lotus and the Storm” Read Lan’s story Esther Howland Class of 1847 Created the United States Valentine’s Day card industry. Read Esther’s story Ruth Muskrat Bronson Class of 1925 Cherokee poet, educator and indigenous rights activist Read Ruth’s story Florence Sophie Schorske Wald Class of 1938 former dean of Yale School of Nursing, credited as “the mother of the American hospice movement” Read Florence’s story Addison Beaux Class of 1999 “Affirming my gender really gave me confidence to trust myself,” Beaux said. “I believe when we love ourselves, it makes it a lot easier to love and understand other people, and how we treat others is a reflection of what goes on in our own inner world.” Read Addison's story Charisse Pickron Class of 2008 Assistant professor at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Director of the Child Brain and Perception Lab, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Read Charisse's story Tahmima Anam Class of 1997 Award-winning novelist Read Tahmima's story Kira Banks Class of 2000 Psychology professor, St. Louis University and Co-founder of St. Louis University’s Institute for Healing Justice and Equity Read Kira's story Monica Landry Class of 1990 Senior advisor for Farallon Read Monica's story Farah Khan Class of 1998 Managing Partner at L Catterton Read Farah's story Caitlin Lambert Class of 2009 Executive director and co-founder of the Children’s Legal Defense Center Read Caitlin's story Alison Rogers Cove Class of 2012 Founder of USEFULL Read Alison’s story Aimée Eubanks Davis Class of 1995 Founder of Braven Read Aimée‘s story Debra Martin Chase Class of 1977 Tony Award-winning producer Read Debra's story Umama Zillur Class of 2018 Co-founder and leader of Kotha, an organization dedicated to ending the culture of gender-based violence in Bangladesh Read Umama’s story Kaneka Turner Class of 2016 Founder of educational consulting company ReImage Read Kaneka’s story Veronika Kivenson Class of 2013 Postdoctoral fellow at Oregon State University and recipient of the Tory Burch Fellowship from the Innovative Genomics Institute Read Veronika's story Gabi Gregg Class of 2008 Fashion blogger and designer and advocate for the representation of plus-size Black women in fashion spaces Read Gabi's story Chloé Zhao Class of 2005 The first woman of color to win an Academy Award for best director Read Chloé’s story Natasha Mohanty Class of 2003 Head of engineering for checkout experiences at Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform Read Natasha’s story Rumbi Bwerinofa-Petrozzello Class of 1994 The first woman of color to serve as president of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants Read Rumbi's story Sheila Lirio Marcelo Class of 1993 Entrepreneur and founder of Care.com Read Sheila's story Tara Roberts Class of 1991 2022 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year Read Tara's story Mona Sutphen Class of 1989 Partner and Head of Investment Strategies, The Vistria Group Read Mona's story Deborah Harkness, Ph.D. Class of 1986 Best-selling fiction author, TV producer and professor of history Read Deborah's story Suzan-Lori Parks Class of 1985 First Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama Read Suzan-Lori's story Holly Metcalf Class of 1981 Top crew coach and champion in expanding access to the sport of rowing Read Holly's story Susan Kare Class of 1975 Pioneer of pixel art and graphical computer interface Read Susan's story Wendy Wasserstein Class of 1971 Tony-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner Read Wendy's story Barbara Smith Class of 1969 Co-founder of the Combahee River Collective and co-author of the Combahee River Collective Statement Read Barbara's story Janet Litster Rideout Class of 1961 Organic chemist and patent holder of AZT Read Janet's story Nita Lowey Class of 1959 U.S. Representative and the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee Read Nita's story Jean Sammet Class of 1948 Co-developer of the computer programming language COBOL Read Jean's story Ella Grasso Class of 1940 First woman elected U.S. state governor in her own right Read Ella's story Virginia Apgar Class of 1929 Inventor of the Apgar Score for newborns Read Virginia's story Frances Perkins Class of 1902 First woman Cabinet member, U.S. Secretary of Labor and creator of Social Security Read Frances' story Emily Dickinson Class of 1849 One of the greatest and most original poets of all time, literary rebel and author of “‘Hope’” Is the Thing with Feathers” Read Emily's story Alums by the numbers 40,000+ Global alum network Our network of alums around the world share their time, insight and connections — these of course being code words for power. Alums of women’s colleges arguably constitute the most influential professional-women’s networks on the globe. 1773 Current alum volunteers Keeping Mount Holyoke’s global community vibrant and engaged is dependent on the efforts of thousands of alums, parents and friends of the College who volunteer their time, talent, and resources. 27.2% Alum Participation Last year, 3,826 alums made gifts of $100 or less, totaling $218,757. Gifts of all sizes, big and small, have a huge impact! 80 Classes Spanning 8 decades between 1943 and 2023. 100+ Clubs and groups There are over 100 Mount Holyoke alum clubs and groups around the world. 137 Countries There are 137 countries that alums call home. Alum Association staff Executive Director Trisha Tanner ’00 Executive Director of the Alum Association Staff Jessica Ayer Associate Editor, Alum Magazine Assistant Director of Alum Marketing & Communications Kathy Cadorette Financial Analyst & Programs Specialist Marisol Fernandez ’20 Associate Director of Volunteer and Recent Alum Engagement Jennifer Grow ’94 Editor, Alum Magazine Senior Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for Alum Communications Rachel Lewellen ’93 Deputy Director and Head of Operations Kate Sawicki Director of Lifelong Learning, Career and Affinity Luisa M. Tavares Event & Project Manager Kelly Uccello FP'03 Associate Director of Groups and Clubs Financial statements Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Fiscal Year 2023-2024 More in Alums Alum Association Bylaws Alum Association Committees Alum Communities Alum Travel Program Board of Directors Creating and supporting an inclusive MHC environment DASH - Donor and Alum Services Hub Mountain Day Reunions Presidential Regional Events Reunion Alum Association The Alum Association is an independent organization that connects the global community of Mount Holyoke alums with each other and the College as we create meaningful change in the world. alumassociation@mtholyoke.edu 413-538-2300 413-538-2254 Quick links Connect Volunteer Give