Theresa Chamberland

The Making of a Webmaster
Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, Fall 1999

As a teenager, Theresa Chamberland, FP '98 had life expectations typical of her generation: get married, have children and live happily ever after. "College was never in my plans. A few years after high school, I bought a one-way ticket from Rhode Island to Honolulu. I was enchanted by my exotic life: immersed in a melting pot of wonderful people, tropical breezes, ravishingly beautiful scenery and a happy-go-lucky lifestyle.

"After sixteen years of island life, I returned to the mainland and realized it was time for transformation. Education became a major part of that change. A friend suggested that I strive for the finest education possible: Mount Holyoke, where her daughter (Nina Gladir '87) had been a student. As I completed my associate's degree at California's Palomar College I dared to apply, and to my surprise was accepted at MHC.

"I chose to live on campus for the full college experience: weekly tea at the Stimson room, burning the midnight oil at the library, socializing over M&Cs, toasting marshmallows by the lake, and enjoying late-night walks to the observatory to view comet Hale-Bopp. I loved my little room in Pearsons Annex, which had views of the library and gardens outside the admission office.

"In January '97 1 spent weeks in Dwight learning about the Internet. Fascination turned into obsession when Genevieve Ellison FP '97 showed me how to personalize my Web page. During my final year I took full advantage of Web-related workshops and became a Web page assistant for the Frances Perkins Program.

"When Carolyn Dietel, associate director of the FP Program, shared an article with me about Marlboro College's unique graduate program in Internet Strategy Management, I knew I had found my next step. I was nervous about entering such a technical program with a background in English and film, but since I had accomplished my goals at MHC I knew I could do anything. For my thesis, I developed a new Web site for the FP Program to meet the needs of FPs. The site went live in April (1999) and I completed my MS degree in August (1999).

"Currently I am a Web development consultant with MHC's Library, Information and Technology Services. It's exciting to work with academic departments to strategize, design, and populate their Web pages. I am also enjoying teaching Web Page Design with HTML and Internet Basics at Holyoke Community College, and am part of a local women-in-technology group.

"What's next? I don't know, but I am living the most important part of my childhood dream: to live happily. I love my work, which offers me the chance to be creative, to work with a diverse group of people and to teach others about the exciting world of the Internet."

--Photograph by Paul Schnaittacher