Harambee House Celebrates 45th Anniversary
Last weekend the College commemorated the 45th anniversary of Harambee House by hosting a weekend-long event themed “To Celebrate and Connect.” Harambee House, named after the Swahili term for ‘working together,’ has been a gathering place for Wellesley community members of African descent since 1970. The anniversary celebration included networking activities, panel discussions and a keynote address. Over 200 students, faculty and alumnae were in attendance, including panelists such as Karen Williamson ’69, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Stanley Chang and Associate Professor of American Studies Michael Jeffries. Tracey Cameron, Assistant Dean of Intercultural Education and Director of the Harambee House, was particularly awed by the event, emphasizing that “to be among such accomplished women who have gone on to do so many amazing things was very moving for me, and I’m sure for students as well.
Katelyn Campbell ’17 Awarded Prestigious Truman Scholarship
Katelyn Campbell ’17 was recently awarded the prestigious Truman Scholarship, a $30,000 prize that aids recipients in paying for graduate school and professional training in preparation for careers in public service leadership. Campbell is among an elite group of 54 winners selected from 774 candidates who were nominated by 305 colleges and universities. An American Studies major from West Virginia, Campbell made national news as a senior in high school by publicly contesting a religiously motivated lecture on abstinence organized by her school principal. Since then, Campbell has continued to work for school choice, safe water access and access to birth control in her home state in addition to serving as a sexual health educator (SHE) and CG executive senator at Wellesley. Campbell emphasized the reward as an achievement for her whole family, stating that “for me, this feels so much more like a reward for them, to recognize the triumph of generations of backbreaking labor in the coal mines and areas surrounding them.”
Wendy Judge Paulson ’69 Gift establishes ecological initiative at Wellesley
Wendy Paulson ’69 recently made a gift to the College to launch a five-year initiative intended to advance conservation efforts and biodiversity awareness throughout Wellesley’s extensive student and alumnae network. This initiative includes improving and caring for Wellesley College ecosystems and utilizing these ecosystems for research purposes. Andrew Shennan, Provost and Dean of the College, hopes that the initiative “will place Wellesley in the forefront of institutions driving positive change for the planet.” Facilities staff John Olmsted and Patrick Willoughby will collaborate with students and faculty to drive this program into action, all hoping to make Wellesley’s diverse natural environment a facet of students’ everyday experience.
