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Dear Alumnae,
As we prepare to say goodbye to the warm, long summer days and usher in the start of autumn with its crisp mornings and vibrant foliage, I am reflecting on the changes we've navigated due to the pandemic. The start of the 2020-2021 school year opened with empty halls and a fully virtual campus. The year that followed was a hybrid one of in-person and distance learning. Just like the seasons, a lot can change in a year. In late August, we welcomed 356 boarding and day students to campus for a full year of in-person learning at Mt. Ida. Ye Grey Walls are full of energy from students and faculty ready to face the challenges of this new year and a return to our most beloved and treasured traditions. We are hopeful for the year ahead, not only for our community on Mt. Ida, but also for our expanded Emma Willard family of alumnae. Our team is looking forward to bringing you more alumnae news, engaging virtual and in-person events, and an unforgettable Reunion 2022 experience. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates!
Cheers,
Margaret Clark '98
Director of Alumnae Relations
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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Mariela Meza-Armenta '09
After Emma Willard, Mariela studied at Hamilton College, where her passion for working towards social equity grew as she focused on Art History and Latin American Studies. During her time at Hamilton, Mariela conducted research with professors on the discrimination of several underserved communities impacted in California and Guatemala. Upon graduation from Hamilton, Mariela joined Teach for America and taught in South Carolina while pursuing her Master’s degree in Education from Francis Marion University. As a proud Bronxite, Mariela returned to NYC in 2015 with the aim of building better communities, strengthening partnerships and providing high quality education options to the families of the Bronx.
Today, Mariela serves as KIPP NYC’s Director of Advocacy and External Affairs; in this role she creates and implements regional strategies to engage a growing network of schools partnering with over 7,100 KIPP families, students, and alumni across 18 schools. She also serves as a committee member for Youth and Education on a local community board and on Teach For America’s NYC Collective Board. Most recently, Mariela was part of the founding NY cohort of ERN’s Leaders of Color Fellowship where she has further developed as a leader in her community by building her education policy knowledge and honing campaigning skills with an equity lens. Mariela recently celebrated an intimate wedding in the Bronx, where she resides with her husband Kenny and their rescue cats Mittens, Marmalade and Margarine.
Alumnae in action
Esther Sellassie Antohin ‘80
Esther Sellassie Antohin is the founder and executive director of Heritage Watch Association, the only non-governmental organization in Ethiopia dedicated to the preservation and protection of its built and natural heritage. Its activities support efforts to build more harmonious relationships between urbanization and economic development and the need to ground these movements to local artistic, cultural, ecological, and intellectual traditions. Ethiopian youth and early-stage professionals, often underrepresented and underutilized in advocacy spaces and decision-making, play a leading role in all Heritage Watch projects. This vision is guided by a long-term goal to teach school children about their rich heritage and its value through the development of heritage clubs in public schools in Addis Ababa, a project to launch in 2021-2022. In rural western Ethiopia, Heritage Watch has partnered with international organizations to bring financial and technical resources as well as expertise to help bolster economic development through enhancement of heritage.
Sellassie Antohin also serves as a co-chair of Fairfield House Community Interest Company (Bath, UK). She is focused to help build the legacy of Emperor Haile-Selassie globally as well as to support an inclusive and enriching image of Ethiopia as part of African heritage, for audiences in the Western Hemisphere, the African continent and in the Diaspora. Her service to these organizations is inspired by her own full circle journey back to Ethiopia, after escaping the revolution and overthrow of the imperial government in 1977. Returning after 35 years, Sellassie Antohin seeks to encourage greater collective cooperation to address the many decades of neglect by the government. To learn more about Esther’s personal journey to heritage advocacy, please see here.
Effie Levenson ‘21
Currently a freshman at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Effie decided to attend RPI after receiving the Rensselaer Medal in her junior year at Emma Willard School. In March of 2020, after often being stuck inside due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Effie launched her own business. Sugar Rose Studios creates and sells custom Schleich model horses and accessories all personally designed by Effie herself. Beginning on Social Media, followers could watch Effie design horses and accessories as well as view photos of her finished work. Eventually, orders started rolling in via her Etsy page.
Now, as a Biology major with a possible interest in the Pre-Med track, Effie looks forward to continuing her business over summers and extended school breaks. "I haven’t been at college long, but I am already missing the ability to paint models for others. It is definitely unfortunate since Christmas time has been the busiest time for orders." Effie said. Although college is keeping her busy, she is also contemplating an additional year at RPI to receive her MBA and is planning to join a variety of clubs including the Emergency Medical Service, a 3D printing and Laser Cutting club, and
the Equestrian team.
In July of 2021, Effie was featured on Fox10 News in their segment titled Discovering Saratoga: Saratoga teen creates custom model horses. To watch the interview and read more about Effie, please click here.
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School happenings
Last Spring, Karen Holl PhD '85 was one of four alumnae who presented during the first Eunice Newton Foote Climate Talk at Emma Willard School. The virtual event was moderated by Science Instructor and Sara Lee Schupf Family Chair in Curriculum Excellence and Innovation Megan Labbate, and when Dr. Holl mentioned she would be returning to campus in Fall 2021 for a visit, she coordinated to present, in-person, to one of Ms. Labbate’s science classes.
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In leading the Signature program at Emma Willard School for many years, Jon Calos has developed a depth of knowledge that begs to be shared. First through involvement in the National Capstone Consortium, and now in the release of his first co-authored book, Jon has set out to make sure others feel empowered to bring a capstone program to their own schools.
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Reunion 2022: June 10-12
We can't wait to welcome you back to Mount Ida!
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Classes of 2s and 7s—Interested in volunteering for your Reunion committee?
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Reunion volunteers help us with a wide variety of tasks leading up to the event in June. This can include logistic planning for each class (prepping alcoves, t-shirt designs, or any special additive to make YOUR Reunion the best experience possible), outreach to classmates regarding Reunion weekend registration, schedules, or class specific gatherings, as well as assisting with promoting a class gift.
welcome home!
We are thrilled to welcome Laura Bedford O’Donnell ’85 back to Mount Ida as a member of the Advancement team. Laura returns to Emma Willard School as the Senior Associate Director of Annual Giving with over 20 years of fundraising, development, alumni relations and event planning experience, most recently from RPI. She holds a BA in German with honors from Hamilton College and an MA in German from the State University at Albany. An EW award recipient, Laura was also given the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2005.
Laura has volunteered in multiple alumnae relation roles on AAC and as a Bulletin Reporter at Emma Willard. Plus volunteered at Hamilton College, To Life!, the American Cancer Society, Junior League of Albany and Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY. Laura lives in Castleton NY with her husband Dave and daughter Emma, a gifted student and athlete who especially loves softball.
To contact Laura, please email her at lodonnell@emmawillard.org or call 813.518.1774.
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Alumnae around campus
Picnic with Barbara Brown Davis ‘49, P'82, Liz Parry,
Katherine "Katie" Dempsey '82 and Katherine "Katy" Davis '82
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Virtual Event
Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement
10/20/2021
7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. ET
Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement explores the June 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn as the flashpoint that ignited the modern gay rights movement in the United States. In the last fifty years since the Stonewall Uprising, America’s LGBTQ population has struggled for equal rights and representation under the law. Rise Up shares the voices and tells the stories of this movement.
Blending together historic images and artifacts of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the 85 artifacts on display in Rise Up include posters from Harvey Milk’s campaign for public office in San Francisco, an original rainbow flag signed by its creator Gilbert Baker, and early LGBTQ magazines and publications. REGISTER HERE
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donate to the emma fund Today
Our world is constantly changing and requires the type of leadership that is at the heart of the Emma Willard School experience.
We are empowering the next generation of women that will lead with purpose. To continue this tradition, a strong Emma Fund is vital to our continued success and allows us to strengthen our mission to educate girls to serve and shape their world.
Make your gift today and open a world of opportunity for students who will lead with purpose.
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 STAY CONNECTED
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285 Pawling Avenue, Troy, NY 12180Phone: 518.833.1300 | Fax: 518.833.1815
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