“Thank You, Mary!”

This spring, Professor of Sociology Mary Osirim retired from Bryn Mawr after 37 years with the College. Osirim served as Bryn Mawr’s acting provost from 2013 to 2015 and provost from 2015 to 2020. As an academic, Osirim has conducted fieldwork on women, entrepreneurship, and the roles of the state and non-governmental organizations in the microenterprise sectors of Nigeria and Zimbabwe. In 2021 she was named co-president of Sociologists for Women in Society.

I vividly recall sitting in Mary Osirim’s Women in Society course and deciding to major in sociology. Although I did not know what “sociology” was before coming to Bryn Mawr, Mary made the discipline come alive for me as she engaged us in vivid discussions about gender, race, and migration.

In her course, I was exposed to theoretical concepts and empirical evidence that helped me make sense of my experiences as a young Black Latina immigrant. I could especially relate to the readings about how women around the globe confronted and made a way out of inequality. It was a story I had seen many times in the women of my family, but which Mary helped me contextualize with research and language. Her course left such a lasting impression on me that I went on to pursue a Ph.D. in sociology, recognizing its potential for addressing inequality.

I connected with Mary again when I served as a Young Alumna Trustee in 2016. Mary was provost at the time and frequently joined our meetings and social events. As a young Black woman, it was comforting to see Mary’s familiar face and smile in the room. As she had done many years before in her classroom, her presence reminded me that I belonged and that my perspectives enriched our discussions and decision-making. It was our meeting during a particularly challenging time in my graduate school career, however, that I remember the most.

On a cool Spring morning before a long day of trustee meetings, Mary offered me thoughtful guidance on how to navigate my Ph.D. program and reminded me that I had agency over the direction of my career. It was incredibly helpful to be able to talk to another Black woman outside of my program about the challenges of the discipline and the support systems we can create to usher us to completion. We ended that meeting with laughs and smiles as we recalled my times as her student and as she shared pictures of her grandson.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned from Mary’s leadership as a professor, mentor, provost, and sociologist. Her presence was transformative for Bryn Mawr students and for Bryn Mawr the institution. We are all better because of it.

Thank you, Mary!

Jomaira Salas Pujols ’13 served on the Board of Trustees as a Young Alumna Trustee from 2016 to 2019.