I’ve just returned from an inspirational weekend in London, where I had the pleasure of hosting about 150 incredible Wellesley women who came from 13 countries for two days of exchange and dialogue, as well as a chance to reconnect with the College and each other.
One of our most distinguished alumnae, Madeleine K. Albright ’59 joined us as our special guest, and she shared her extraordinary insight on the increasing role that women are playing in advancing democracy. I had the opportunity to talk about the expanded role that I believe Wellesley will play in this complex century, and about the contributions that our graduates can and will make toward shaping our shared future all around the world.
All European alumnae were invited for opportunities to network with each other, hear from Wellesley’s faculty about current global issues, as well as learn from the perspectives and experiences of recent Wellesley graduates. The discussions were lively and impassioned. There was a panel about the powerful impact of social media on world affairs by Wellesley and London School of Economics faculty, which was moderated by Carla Robbins ‘74, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of the New York Times. Four recently graduated Wellesley Albright Fellows gave an illuminating panel presentation of their experience at Wellesley and following graduation. Both panels and the audience discussion afterwards were examples of the exchange of brilliant Wellesley minds at work. I loved being there to hear it.
The past weekend is only the beginning of our efforts to expand Wellesley’s global presence—and to celebrate our connections with alumnae around the globe. It was also confirmation that Wellesley women are ready and able to address the international challenges that face us all—in large part, by engaging with each other, by putting their minds together, and by inspiring each other to develop the world’s next big innovative and multidisciplinary solutions.
(Photo credit: Bill Knight)
Thank you for creating a serie of great events that truly reflects the spirit of Wellesley College! It was inspirational both on the intellectual level as well as on social level. I took a friend with me to all the events. She is not a Wellesley alum but she came away from the weekend wishing that she was 🙂 I left the weekend thinking what I can do to promote Wellesley College and its unique environment to encourage women to explore their intellectual curiousity and challenge their minds. Thanks also to the alumnae office for their hard work to make this past weekend a geat success.