The Alumnae 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.
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.
We are excited to announce that we are resuming our travel program after a pandemic hiatus with a number of travel opportunities for alums, including trips to Costa Rica, Japan, Italy and Greece. Established in 1973, the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Association 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 in 2024.
Enjoy books with a virtual community of alums from across generations and around the world.
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!
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.
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. Since 1920, the traditional on-campus Vespers concert has included an alum-friendly New York City venue; today it is hosted by the Mount Holyoke Club of New York City at St. Bartholomew’s Church. In 1996, the Mount Holyoke Club of Boston began hosting Vespers at the Old South Church. The location of the alum concert now alternates each year between the two cities.
The Alumnae Association and the Office of Advancement host graduates from the senior class, toast their accomplishments and welcome them into the worldwide alum community.
Established by the Class of 1961 in 2011 to welcome new graduates immediately into the worldwide community of MHC alums the Thursday before Commencement. Alums celebrating their 50th reunion meet with members of the graduating class and place around each graduate’s neck a silk scarf in their class color decorated with their class animal.
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.
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. The Black Alum Conference was created by Black alums on campus in 1973. These visionary alums saw the need to bring Black alums and students together to reflect on their common experience and plan for the future of Black alums at Mount Holyoke. In 2022, alums celebrated 50 years of the conference, meeting on campus under the theme “Standing On the Right Side of History: Black Women's Leadership and Activism.”
The biennial European Alum Symposium is organized by the Mount Holyoke European Alum Council and features a week of intellectual and social opportunities for alums from all over the world. Locations have included Paris, France; Seville, Spain; Riga, Latvia; and Athens, Greece. The first European Alum Symposium was held in London, England in 1987. In 2022, 150 alums met in The Hague, The Netherlands under the theme “Building a More Just Society.”
Your recommendations are critical in identifying potential award candidates. 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 Alumnae Association Board of Directors.
The Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College recognizes the unique accomplishments of alums through several distinguished awards.
Stay up-to-date with everything that is happening on campus.
Enjoy the most recent issue and catch up on any issues you've missed.
Next level career resources for alums who have graduated in the last five years.
Thanks to generous gifts from alums, the Alumnae Association and the College offer a small number of fellowships annually to Mount Holyoke College graduates and students in their senior year.
Happening at Mount Holyoke
Mount Holyoke’s annual LEAP Symposium is a powerful vehicle that demonstrates the strong connections between academic work at the College and its practical application in the world in internships and research experiences.
Mount Holyoke graduate alum Lachanda Garrison begins a prestigious fellowship to advocate for STEM and military families and to help make American classrooms stronger.
New Mount Holyoke College students descended on the campus, where they were welcomed by honorary “firstie” President Danielle R. Holley.
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.”
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
Tahmima Anam
Class of 1997
Award-winning novelist
Kira Banks
Class of 2000
Psychology professor, St. Louis University and Co-founder of St. Louis University’s Institute for Healing Justice and Equity
Monica Landry
Class of 1990
Senior advisor for Farallon
Farah Khan
Class of 1998
Managing Partner at L Catterton
Caitlin Lambert
Class of 2009
Executive director and co-founder of the Children’s Legal Defense Center
Alison Rogers Cove
Class of 2012
Founder of USEFULL
Aimée Eubanks Davis
Class of 1995
Founder of Braven
Debra Martin Chase
Class of 1977
Tony Award-winning producer
Umama Zillur
Class of 2018
Co-founder and leader of Kotha, an organization dedicated to ending the culture of gender-based violence in Bangladesh
Kaneka Turner
Class of 2016
Founder of educational consulting company ReImage
Veronika Kivenson
Class of 2013
Postdoctoral fellow at Oregon State University and recipient of the Tory Burch Fellowship from the Innovative Genomics Institute
Gabi Gregg
Class of 2008
Fashion blogger and designer and advocate for the representation of plus-size Black women in fashion spaces
Chloé Zhao
Class of 2005
The first woman of color to win an Academy Award for best director
Natasha Mohanty
Class of 2003
Head of engineering for checkout experiences at Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform
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
Sheila Lirio Marcelo
Class of 1993
Entrepreneur and founder of Care.com
Tara Roberts
Class of 1991
2022 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year
Mona Sutphen
Class of 1989
Partner and Head of Investment Strategies, The Vistria Group
Deborah Harkness, Ph.D.
Class of 1986
Best-selling fiction author, TV producer and professor of history
Suzan-Lori Parks
Class of 1985
First Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Holly Metcalf
Class of 1981
Top crew coach and champion in expanding access to the sport of rowing
Susan Kare
Class of 1975
Pioneer of pixel art and graphical computer interface
Wendy Wasserstein
Class of 1971
Tony-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner
Barbara Smith
Class of 1969
Co-founder of the Combahee River Collective and co-author of the Combahee River Collective Statement
Janet Litster Rideout
Class of 1961
Organic chemist and patent holder of AZT
Nita Lowey
Class of 1959
U.S. Representative and the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee
Jean Sammet
Class of 1948
Co-developer of the computer programming language COBOL
Ella Grasso
Class of 1940
First woman elected U.S. state governor in her own right
Virginia Apgar
Class of 1929
Inventor of the Apgar Score for newborns
Frances Perkins
Class of 1902
First woman Cabinet member, U.S. Secretary of Labor and creator of Social Security
Emily Dickinson
Class of 1849
One of the greatest and most original poets of all time
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.
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.
Last year, 4,113 alums made gifts of $100 or less, totaling $237,034. Gifts of all sizes, big and small, have a huge impact!
There are 141 countries that alums call home.
The Alumnae 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.
