#AlumnaeAchievement? More Like #WellesleyExcellence
Tonight is one of Wellesley’s favorite events….the Alumnae Achievement Awards! Every year, alumnae are recognized for their outstanding achievements; this year, it is none other than Tracy Orleans (behavioral scientist and public health advocate, class of ’70) and Eva Sommaripa (organic farmer and champion of sustainable living, ’63).
Part of the Students’ Aid Society staff (and myself!) with Tracy Orleans!
Today was a product of serendipity. After coming in to organize the Clothes Closet at the Students’ Aid Society (I’ve been volunteering there for the past year), I was told that an alum would be coming in. Little did I know that this alum was none other than Tracy Orleans – one of this year’s Alumnae Achievement Award recipients! Throughout our conversation over muffins and coffee with the SAS staff, Mrs. Orleans reminded me of what makes Wellesley amazing: the network and resources that exist exclusively to support its students.
While sitting in the basement of Green Hall, Mrs. Orleans talked to us about her experience coming to Wellesley, saying, “I came in alone, with only one suitcase, and had to find Stone-Davis.” With her mother unable to accompany her due to financial reasons, Mrs. Orleans found herself having to navigate a world full of privilege. “I was scared that I wouldn’t fit in,” she admitted to us humbly. “But organizations like the Students’ Aid Society helped eliminate that fear for me, and socioeconomic status became something that I didn’t have to worry about.”
Fondly reminiscing, Mrs. Orleans shared stories with us about coming into the closet and finding clothes, about being neighbors with “Hillary” (Yes, that’s right Hillary Clinton, who lived on her floor in Stone-Davis), and about her personal life:
After Wellesley, I wanted to become a doctor. A ‘real’ doctor. But after I met my husband, who would be working in D.C., I knew I had to go to a graduate program near him. So I went! And I thought, ‘Wow, this is definitely NOT as rigorous as Wellesley!’ But I feel so blessed, because look at where I am now. A Wellesley education gives us the opportunity to re-invent ourselves, always.
Mrs. Orleans is a testament of the value of a Wellesley education, and a true representative of non ministrari sed ministrare – not to be ministered unto, but to minister. I can only hope that someday, I will get to cheer on one of my friends receiving this prestigious award.
For more information about Tracy Orleans or the Alumnae Achievement Awards, go to: http://www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/awards/achievementawards