Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Bryn Mawr has been on my mind recently, as I’m still aglow from celebrating my 10-year reunion this past May (Anassa Kata, 2013!). Reunion also marked an exciting milestone for me: my first meeting as a member of the Alumnae Association Executive Board, where I am now chair of the Bryn Mawr Fund.

My wife put it best when she described the sensation of being at Bryn Mawr Reunion as akin to going to a party where you might not know everyone, but you have a great time because of the types of people the host attracts. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, but it was just as exciting to strike up a conversation with another Mawrter at the Black at Bryn Mawr Tour and end up as friends, thanks to a mutual interest in social justice and feminist fantasy novels. Other highlights included cheering on Jane Drucker ’48 and Kim Cassidy as they closed out a colorful Parade of Classes, checking out BMC ephemera from the ’60s and ’70s in Special Collections, seeing the thriving community garden spearheaded by a classmate in 2013, and singing “Closer to Fine” with my class at Step Sing (made even sweeter by the song’s revival in the Barbie movie).

For me, serving as chair of the Bryn Mawr Fund is personal: I was a student Phonathon caller, and my first job after graduation involved running student philanthropy and young alumnae/i programming. Although I’ve spent the past eight years living on a graduate student stipend, Bryn Mawr has remained my philanthropic priority—in large part due to the support the College has offered me as an alum: free career counseling; amazing alumnae/i access to online research databases; and Bryn Mawr Clubs across the nation that helped me find community in different cities.

As Bryn Mawr Fund chair, I am passionate about spreading the word on participatory giving and not worrying about targeting a specific gift amount. All gifts of all sizes make a huge difference, as the alumnae/i participation rate is the main factor that grant-giving and rankings institutions consider for alumnae/i satisfaction with their education. I give $20.13 in honor of my class every year because it’s what my budget allows— and the collector in me wants to maintain my streak of Archways Society magnets on my fridge.

Reunion was also bittersweet, as the campus has changed so much since I graduated. The Health Center and Pagoda have become the Well, Park Science Building has been drastically updated, and the Thomas Library is now the Old Library. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Well embodies Bryn Mawr at its best—a warm and inviting hub for mental health and wellness, leadership development, and community engagement. The new facilities in Park are already empowering the next Lilli Schwenk Hornigs and Florence Bascoms. And scholarship still reigns supreme, as demonstrated by student-created exhibits in the Old Library explaining its complicated legacy and name change.

It’s reassuring to know that the future of Bryn Mawr rests with new generations of whip-smart, change-making Mawrters. I’m excited to see what the next decade of growth brings to our alma mater, and I invite you to let me know how I can best support you in my new role.

Anassa Kata!