Keep up with all the ways in which the Mount Holyoke community is pushing the limits of human knowledge, building lasting bonds and leading the way forward — on campus and around the world.
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As a student, Laura never imagined someday being an active donor. Her arrival in South Hadley came in the aftermath of family upheaval. Increased scholarship support and an attached waitressing job helped her to make ends meet.
Mount Holyoke changed everything, said Laura Khoudari ’00. It is where she came into her voice. And she brings that voice to her work today as a certified personal trainer who incorporates a trauma-sensitive approach to strength training.
Each member of the Mary Lyon Society — over 1,600 individuals and counting — has a unique story. These are stories of generosity and planning, gratitude and determination, pride and excitement. No two are the same, but they share a common thread: every Mary Lyon Society member is invested in Mount Holyoke’s future. As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Mary Lyon Society, we are proud to share the voices of some of these remarkable members.
“Mount Holyoke connected me to a world that gave me access to the impossible,” said Mary Ann Villarreal ’94, the first in her family to attend college. “I give back because I felt like Mount Holyoke was my home and I want other people to find their home too.”
For former student-athlete Nancy G. Rosoff ’78, “being part of a team is magical.” She is helping to continue Mount Holyoke’s winning streak by supporting the Friends of Athletics Endowment in her estate plans and giving future students access to empowering opportunities.
“For any career, in any job that I wanted, Mount Holyoke was certainly a selling point,” said Pat Kennedy Ascher ’60. One of her gifts to the College provides her a steady income stream and will help students explore careers in public service.
“How do you keep someone engaged in the story — someone who may be sitting in the dark whom you may never see?” As a Mary Lyon Society member, Priyanjali Ghosh ‘09 is engaging with generations of 챬 students whom she’ll never know but whose lives she will touch through her future bequest gift.
Thanks to a scholarship, Rhae A. Kennedy ’81 discovered the campus gates were the threshold to another world. “Mount Holyoke challenged me to think differently and make connections. It changed my life.”
In gratitude to Mount Holyoke for expanding her worldview and inspiring her, Ruth R. Barney ’68 has left a legacy gift that honors her equally inspiring mother-in-law.
Upon retirement, Shelley found herself thinking back to her Mount Holyoke years and her lasting legacy. Her generous gifts will help expand the Art Museum’s collection of Judaica and enhance course offerings through a Jewish lens.
