The laurel chain wound up outside of Mary Woolley Hall ready for the Laurel Parade

Alum Association

Welcome Home!

The Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College is an independent organization that uplifts Mount Holyoke alums and builds community that fosters lifelong learning and empowers impactful connections.

You are part of a community of alums supporting each other and committed to the future of Mount Holyoke College.

Forged in dissent: Raise your voice for MHC

Mount Holyoke stands as a beacon of bold, values-driven education. Our community thinks critically, acts courageously, and leads with purpose. In a time of deep division and disruption, our commitment to our mission is unwavering. Visit our webpage to share updates, discover ways to make an impact and learn how Mount Holyoke is advocating for our community.

One of the most powerful ways to support MHC now is with a gift to the MHC Forward Fund, empowering President Holley and College leadership to meet higher education’s biggest challenges with strength and agility.

An alum presenting a scarf to a graduating senior in their class color

The Mount Holyoke Experience

Ways to engage

Connect

Use The Gates to grow your professional and personal networks and find Mount Holyoke community no matter where you are.

Volunteer

Share your expertise, get involved and have fun.

Give

Participation in giving — at the level that’s right for you — helps Mount Holyoke to thrive.

Explore Lifelong Learning Opportunities

The Gates

The Gates is a space to easily connect, build relationships, and exchange information. Offer or receive career advice, post or seek jobs and internships, join career and interest-based groups, and grow your professional network.

Travel program - a highlight of the seaside in Greece

Travel Program

Established in 1973, the travel program offers opportunities for alums to continue their lifelong journey of learning in the company of alums. In 50 years, more than 1,500 alums have traveled with us around the world and in the United States. Join us!

Join Special Events & Initiatives

A red pegasus class enjoying the Laurel Parade

Reunion

Each May, alums return to campus to celebrate each other and all things Mount Holyoke. From the Laurel Parade to back-to-class, there's no shortage of the uniquely Mount Holyoke blend of tradition and fun at Reunion. Start planning your trip now!

Mountain Day Reunion in Pittsburgh, PA

Mountain Day Reunions

Meredith Nelson ’11 started this annual tradition in the fall of 2011. Alums around the world take time out from their busy lives to meet up and celebrate fall and Mount Holyoke with each other in local ice cream shops.

Vespers - students singing wearing all black and holding candles

Holiday Vespers

A popular and well-loved annual December concert featuring musical performances from a variety of religious traditions that alternates between Boston and New York City and is hosted by the local Mount Holyoke clubs with support from the Alum Association.

Strawberries in glasses of champagne on a white table

Berries and Bubbly

The Alum Association and the Office of Development host graduates from the senior class, toast their accomplishments and welcome them into the worldwide alum community.

Alums walking up the steps to go into Chapin Auditorium, underneath the Welcome Home banner

Welcome Ceremony for New Alums

Established by the Class of 1961 in 2011 to welcome new graduates into the worldwide community of MHC alums. During reunion alums celebrating their 50th reunion bestow members of the graduating class with a silk scarf in their class color.

Conferences & Symposia

Stunning Asian architecture

Mount Holyoke Alum Symposium in Asia

Since 2014, the Alum Symposium in Asia has brought alums together, featuring panels, talks, discussions and conversations. Check back for information on upcoming plans for our next gathering.

A group of participants in the Black Alum Conference

Black Alum Conference

Created in 1973, the tri-annual Black Alum Conference is organized by the Black Alum Society and centers the work of Black alums in transforming our communities and the world and recognizes alums demonstrating leadership and activism in their work and lives.

Gorgeous European architecture

European Alum Symposium

Since 1987, the biennial European Alum Symposium, organized by the Mount Holyoke European Alum Council, has featured a week of intellectual and social opportunities for alums from all over the world. Locations have included Paris, Seville, Riga and Athens.

Celebrate the Community

An alum and a student embracing with matching red scarves

Recommend an Alum

Our award committees take tremendous care and conduct extensive research in selecting award recipients through an objective vetting process, with awards given at the discretion of the Association Board of Directors. Your recommendations are critical in identifying potential candidates.

A photo of flowers on a table

Awards

The Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College recognizes the unique accomplishments of alums through several distinguished awards.

Resources

Mount Holyoke students enjoying a spring day on Skinner Green

Campus news

Stay up-to-date with everything that is happening on campus.

Covers from a selection of Alumnae Quarterly magazine covers

Alum Quarterly

Enjoy the most recent issue and catch up on any issues you've missed.

Staff from the Career Development Center talk with a student at an information table

Career Development Center

Next level career resources for alums who have graduated in the last five years.

Sign on campus of various locations around the world.

Alum Fellowships

Thanks to generous gifts from alums, the Alum Association and the College offer a small number of fellowships annually to Mount Holyoke College graduates and students in their senior year.

All the class animals

Send Your News

Have news to share with your classmates? The class notes section of the Alum Quarterly occupies about forty pages—or half—of every issue and keeps readers connected to each other and to Mount Holyoke and the Alum Association.

Upcoming events for alums

More events for alums

Happening at Mount Holyoke

Alums in the news

Mount Holyoke student decorated their mortarboard with the words Mount Holyoke Forever Shall Be and flowers

Commencement 2025: “History has given you this moment”

On May 25, 2025, Mount Holyoke College celebrated its one hundred eighty-eighth Commencement, marking milestone achievements for the class of 2025. Maura T. Healey, governor of Massachusetts, was the graduation speaker.

Building on our momentum - Mount Holyoke College's BOOM! 2025 speakers

Community and coalition at this year’s BOOM!

Mount Holyoke College held its ninth annual BOOM! Learning Symposium; the College hosted renowned speakers and offered a variety of workshops and breakout sessions centered on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Dean Marcella Runell spoke at the annual Leadership and Service Awards.

Honoring student leadership and achievement

Mount Holyoke College students gathered to be honored by the community for their leadership and service to others.

Explore More News

Our trailblazing community

DJ Chmba at the 90s Dance Party — Chmba Ellen Chilemba

Class of 2017

Producer-DJ artist, named in Forbes Africa 30 Under 30

Read Chmba’s story

Candy Alexandra González ’14 — Candy Alexandra González

Class of 2014

Multidisciplinary visual artist, poet, activist and trauma-informed educator

Read Candy’s story

Alum Lan Cao ’83 during Commencement 2023 — Lan Cao

Class of 1983

Author of “Monkey Bridge” and “The Lotus and the Storm”

Read Lan’s story

Esther Howland, class of 1847 — Esther Howland

Class of 1847

Created the United States Valentine’s Day card industry.

Read Esther’s story

Ruth Muskrat Bronson, class of 1925 — Ruth Muskrat Bronson

Class of 1925

Cherokee poet, educator and indigenous rights activist

Read Ruth’s story

Florence Sophie Schorske Wald — Florence Sophie Schorske Wald

Class of 1938

former dean of Yale School of Nursing, credited as “the mother of the American hospice movement”

Read Florence’s story

Addison Beaux — Addison Beaux

Class of 1999

“Affirming my gender really gave me confidence to trust myself,” Beaux said. “I believe when we love ourselves, it makes it a lot easier to love and understand other people, and how we treat others is a reflection of what goes on in our own inner world.”

Read Addison's story

Charisse Pickron ’08 — Charisse Pickron

Class of 2008

Assistant professor at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Director of the Child Brain and Perception Lab, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Read Charisse's story

Tahmima Anam ’97 — Tahmima Anam

Class of 1997

Award-winning novelist

Read Tahmima's story

Kira Banks ’00 — Kira Banks

Class of 2000

Psychology professor, St. Louis University and Co-founder of St. Louis University’s Institute for Healing Justice and Equity

Read Kira's story

Monica Landry ’90 — Monica Landry

Class of 1990

Senior advisor for Farallon

Read Monica's story

Farah Khan ’98 — Farah Khan

Class of 1998

Managing Partner at L Catterton

Read Farah's story

Caitlin Lambert ’09 in front of a pink flowering bush on the Mount Holyoke College campus. — Caitlin Lambert

Class of 2009

Executive director and co-founder of the Children’s Legal Defense Center

Read Caitlin's story

Alison Rogers Cofe ’12 — Alison Rogers Cove

Class of 2012

Founder of USEFULL

Read Alison’s story

Aimée Eubanks Davis — Aimée Eubanks Davis

Class of 1995

Founder of Braven

Read Aimée‘s story

Debra Martin Chase — Debra Martin Chase

Class of 1977

Tony Award-winning producer

Read Debra's story

Umama Zillur — Umama Zillur

Class of 2018

Co-founder and leader of Kotha, an organization dedicated to ending the culture of gender-based violence in Bangladesh

Read Umama’s story

Kaneka Turner ”16 — Kaneka Turner

Class of 2016

Founder of educational consulting company ReImage

Read Kaneka’s story

Veronika Kivenson — Veronika Kivenson

Class of 2013

Postdoctoral fellow at Oregon State University and recipient of the Tory Burch Fellowship from the Innovative Genomics Institute

Read Veronika's story

Gabi Greg ’08 — Gabi Gregg

Class of 2008

Fashion blogger and designer and advocate for the representation of plus-size Black women in fashion spaces

Read Gabi's story

Chloé Zhao, class of 2005 — Chloé Zhao

Class of 2005

The first woman of color to win an Academy Award for best director

Read Chloé’s story

Natasha Mohanty ’03 — Natasha Mohanty

Class of 2003

Head of engineering for checkout experiences at Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform

Read Natasha’s story

Rumbi Bwerinofa-Petrozzello — Rumbi Bwerinofa-Petrozzello

Class of 1994

The first woman of color to serve as president of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants

Read Rumbi's story

Sheila Lirio Marcelo — Sheila Lirio Marcelo

Class of 1993

Entrepreneur and founder of Care.com

Read Sheila's story

Tara Roberts, class of 1991 — Tara Roberts

Class of 1991

2022 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year

Read Tara's story

Mona Sutphen ’89 — Mona Sutphen

Class of 1989

Partner and Head of Investment Strategies, The Vistria Group

Read Mona's story

Deborah Harkness photo by Scarlett Freund — Deborah Harkness, Ph.D.

Class of 1986

Best-selling fiction author, TV producer and professor of history

Read Deborah's story

Suzan Lori Parks, class of 1985 — Suzan-Lori Parks

Class of 1985

First Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Read Suzan-Lori's story

Holly Metcalf ’81 — Holly Metcalf

Class of 1981

Top crew coach and champion in expanding access to the sport of rowing

Read Holly's story

Susan Kare

Class of 1975

Pioneer of pixel art and graphical computer interface

Read Susan's story

Wendy Wasserstein — Wendy Wasserstein

Class of 1971

Tony-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner

Read Wendy's story

Barbara Smith '69 — Barbara Smith

Class of 1969

Co-founder of the Combahee River Collective and co-author of the Combahee River Collective Statement

Read Barbara's story

Janet Litster Rideout

Class of 1961

Organic chemist and patent holder of AZT

Read Janet's story

Nita Lowey ’59 — Nita Lowey

Class of 1959

U.S. Representative and the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee

Read Nita's story

Jean Sammet '48 — Jean Sammet

Class of 1948

Co-developer of the computer programming language COBOL

Read Jean's story

Ella Grasso — Ella Grasso

Class of 1940

First woman elected U.S. state governor in her own right

Read Ella's story

Virginia Apgar

Class of 1929

Inventor of the Apgar Score for newborns

Read Virginia's story

Frances Perkins, class of 1902 — Frances Perkins

Class of 1902

First woman Cabinet member, U.S. Secretary of Labor and creator of Social Security

Read Frances' story

A photo of an Emily Dickinson U.S. Postal stamp. — Emily Dickinson

Class of 1849

One of the greatest and most original poets of all time, literary rebel and author of “‘Hope’” Is the Thing with Feathers”

Read Emily's story

Alums by the numbers

40,000+

Global alum network

Our network of alums around the world share their time, insight and connections — these of course being code words for power. Alums of women’s colleges arguably constitute the most influential professional-women’s networks on the globe.

1773

Current alum volunteers

Keeping Mount Holyoke’s global community vibrant and engaged is dependent on the efforts of thousands of alums, parents and friends of the College who volunteer their time, talent, and resources.

27.2%

Alum Participation

Last year, 3,826 alums made gifts of $100 or less, totaling $218,757. Gifts of all sizes, big and small, have a huge impact!

80

Classes

Spanning 8 decades between 1943 and 2023.

100+

Clubs and groups

There are over 100 Mount Holyoke alum clubs and groups around the world.

146

Countries

There are 146 countries that alums call home.

Alum Association staff

Executive Director

Trisha Tanner ’00

Executive Director of the Alum Association

Staff

Jessica Ayer

Associate Editor, Alum Quarterly
Assistant Director of Alum Marketing & Communications

Kathy Cadorette

Financial Analyst & Programs Specialist

Marisol Fernandez de Cordova ’20

Assistant Director of Volunteer Engagement

Jennifer Grow ’94

Editor, Alum Quarterly
Senior Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for Alum Communications

Danielle Lund

Director of Engagement

Kate Sawicki

Associate Director of Digital Engagement

Luisa M. Tavares

Event & Project Manager

Kelly Uccello FP'03

Associate Director of Groups and Clubs

Julie Yurgielewicz

Assistant to the Executive Director

More in Alums

Contact us

Alum Association

The Alum Association is an independent organization that connects the global community of Mount Holyoke alums with each other and the College as we create meaningful change in the world.

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