Student Events
‘More For Sophomores’ Event Provides ‘One-Stop Shopping’ For Advice, Opportunities, And, Well … More
By Hannah Clay Wareham ’09
Gray skies couldn’t keep over one hundred sophomores from Chapin Auditorium on Sunday, September 14. Inside, numbered tables were arranged facing the stage, where a panel of five speakers awaited the beginning of the event. Seated at table 11, I was surrounded by nametags, yellow Mount Holyoke pens, and several nervous-looking young women.
After the panel discussion, the round numbered tables were to be used as ‘resource tables,’ offering discussions about pre-law, pre-health, multicultural affairs, and academic paths, to name a few, but the most popular table so far seemed to be the refreshment table, which was stocked with fresh lemonade and cookies.
The audience applauded the official welcome address of the class of 2011. “We have many treats in store today, and I don’t just mean the s’mores,” acting Alumnae Association Executive Director Leanna James Blackwell joked. Sponsors of the event, the Alumnae Association provided networking contacts, study-abroad counseling, and internship advice—not to mention tasty treats—to attendees.
Jenny Pyke, dean of the class of 2011, introduced herself to the sophomore audience. “I will be your academic dean until you graduate—and you will graduate,” she insisted, triggering a collective giggle from the audience.
When Petra Scamborova ’97 took the microphone and shared her story of unconventional success, the communal feeling of relief in the room was nearly palpable. Scamborova, an alumna representative, had graduated from MHC with a major in biochemistry and the intent to become a scientist.
However, it took her one master’s degree from Cambridge University and Ph.D. work at Yale to realize that she didn’t really like science at all. It was, she said, all the lab work, stuck at tables working with her hands all day. “Maybe that explains why I don’t like cooking,” she quipped.
After finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, Scamborova chose to start over, and soon after graduated from law school. Now a patent litigator for a law firm in New York City, Scamborova works mainly with pharmaceutical companies, and says she has found the “perfect balance.”
“You should not fetishize your major,” she encouraged sophomores, who are required to declare their majors this coming spring. “Your major truly does not matter.” Scamborova’s story can be very reassuring to students who may view their major as their definite career path. “I took such an unusual and convoluted path to where I am now,” she told me later. “I would love to talk to more science undergrad majors and tell them, you can be a lawyer, too!”
During a fifteen-minute pause for refreshments, the auditorium buzzed with questions and nervous chatter. “I’m excited about this turnout,” Pyke told me as we watched students crowd around resource tables. According to Pyke, events like this are important because “it’s easy for sophomores to assume that they are behind everyone else,” when in fact they are “right on track.”
The class of 2011 demonstrated a special interest in Mount Holyoke’s study abroad programs. More than half of the students in attendance expressed curiosity about international study, much to the joy of Jale Okay ’84, the director of International Experiential Learning at the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives.
Students listened, spellbound, as Okay described time spent studying abroad as a “transformative, life-changing experience.” Indeed, the Center for Global Initiatives resource table was among the most popular, and MHC may expect a high number of 2011 sphinxes studying abroad next year.
Tanya Williams, the multicultural affairs representative seated at table 9, touted the event as a “great opportunity to connect with students who will become the leaders of campus.” According to Williams, sophomore year is crucial because students “can now take in the wealth of what’s available on campus.”
Sophomores Ariela Lovett and Elisa Loeser took advantage of the event. “I like going around to all the tables,” Lovett told me, calling it “one-stop shopping” as she paused at the Career Development Center’s table for some answers about internships. While the organizations and departments represented at the event are easy to access on campus, “it’s nice to have everything here at once,” Loeser said.
