Send Along Updates for Class Notes

It is that time of the season when I am writing the next column of class notes, and therefore it is also that time of the season when I shamelessly solicit updates from you. I'd love to hear about what any and all '06ers are up to- even just a sentence or two, and you'll likely make it into the next set of notes.

Don't be shy- when you look back, you'll realize you've done more than you think the past three and a half years!

If you have an update, you can submit it to wellesley2006@gmail.com by Sunday, November 29th, and I'll include you in the column for the winter magazine (which will come out around February.)

Grilled Cheese for Good

One of my fondest memories of the dearly departed food service kitchen at Schneider was heading there after a long night day (and usually night) of studying at the library, and then running as quickly as possible from Knapp to Schneider to warm up with a grilled cheese croissant sandwich (and usually some warm Schneider fries.)

I was inevitably reminded of ol' Schneider a few weeks ago when I learned about an organization called Feel Good World. Feel Good World is a nonprofit that funds students at colleges across the country with money to start up campus delis. The proceeds from the delis (which often produce easy-to-make and sustainably supplied grilled cheese sandwiches) go to various organizations working for a sustainable end to global hunger. So you can hit the spot with a grilled cheese sandwich and help the world!

Congratulations to Alissa!

We're happy to announce that Alissa Cohen '06 married Yoel Greenwald on October 18th at Kibbutz Ma'ale HaChamisha in the Judean Hills in Isreal. Classmate Meera Sheffrin attended the wedding, flying all the way from Pittsburgh, PA! Alissa is in her 2nd year of grad school in molecular biology at Hebrew University Medical School in Jerusalem and her husband is an ophthalmologist at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot, Israel.

Thanks to Alissa for letting us post it, and sending along a picture of she and Meera at the wedding!

If you have had a wedding recently, we're happy to include pictures on the blog (and, of course, include you in the class notes!) Just email wellesley2006@gmail.com.

Wellesley Takes the Media

A language trend group has ranked the nation’s top 200 colleges according to their appearance in print and electronic media. Wellesley claimed the top spot in the college rankings, followed by Colorado College, Williams and Amherst. This year is the first time a women’s college has topped the rankings.

The most-cited university was the University of Michigan, followed by MIT, Harvard and Columbia.

Click here to see the top 25 rankings.

(Thanks to '06er Lindsey B. for the tip)

Women in Science, Class of 1913

Any 96-year-old female biochemist would have had to overcome gender discrimination in her day. Mildred Cohn eventually won the National Medal of Science for her pioneering research but was once told that studying chemistry would not be "ladylike." After earning her Master's degree (at the age of 19), Columbia University wouldn't hire her as a teaching assistant because the position was reserved for men.

"My career has been affected at every stage by the fact that I am a woman, beginning with my undergraduate education," she once wrote.

Mildred Cohn didn't go to Wellesley but did attend Hunter College when it was a women's college. Click here to read the obituary for Mildred Cohn.

New Book by Ira Trivedi '06

One of our 2006 classmates, Ira Trivedi, is celebrating the release of her second novel, The Great Indian Love Story. A short blurb from the publisher, Penguin Books India:

The Great Indian Love Story is set in a world where appearances mean everything and nothing is as it seems. There’s no time for love in a world that revolves around the latest Ferraris, the hottest nightclubs, diamonds, single malts, cocaine and ecstasy. In this whirl of wild parties, sex and drugs we meet Serena Sharma who lives her life one debauched night at a time, always falling for the wrong men. Her life is a rollercoaster ride: her father’s death followed by her mother’s remarriage, a broken heart and a lost love. Adding to this is her torrid affair with Amar Khanna—a trophy husband, coke addict and serial adulterer. Riya, jaded by her unsuccessful attempt to find a job in America, returns to Delhi to find the city of her childhood changed beyond recognition. Striking an unlikely friendship with Serena, Riya finds her complacent torpor shattered. The Great Indian Love Story is also the story of Parmeet, Serena’s mother, who looks for passion outside her marriage with disastrous consequences, and S.P. Sharma, Parmeet’s husband, who is driven to violence by her infidelity. Ira Trivedi weaves together sex, revenge, glitz, friendship and a chilling murder to create a potent cocktail in this gripping novel on the perfidious nature of love and power.

Congratulations to Ira for publishing her 2nd novel!

If you've been published, let us know and we'll highlight it here on the class blog.

Read My Pins

As the resident librarian on our alumnae council, I thought it was natural to highlight a book for my first post on our blog.

As some of you might know, Madeleine Albright has written a new book, entitled Read My Pins. I heard a wonderful interview with her on NPR where she talks about the book and how she used her pins to communicate messages about her diplomatic efforts. You can listen to the interview and read an excerpt from the book here.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to get my hands on the book (ie, my library has not acquired it yet). If any of you have read it, please let me know what you think!

New York Times on Choosing a Women's College

There is a piece today on the New York Times blog The Choice written by a high school senior who is happily seeking out women's colleges (she briefly mentions Wellesley):

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/champion/

I'm interested to hear from other 2006ers- did you go to Wellesley because it was a women's college or despite the fact that it was a women's college? (Or maybe you didn't care either way and your main thought was "All you can eat ice cream and a lake? Count me in!") Leave your thoughts in the comments!

(Thank you to Katie Landise '06 for bringing the NYT piece to our attention!)

Wellesley on iTunes

Where else can you listen to a podcast about Feminist Ecological Economics? Wellesley has nearly a hundred lectures on iTunes from professors and alums including Ann Velenchik, Alan Schechter, Marshall Goldman and Cappy Lynch. Plus, past Tanner presentations and commencement speeches. Just search "Wellesley" in the iTunes store or click here.

Wellesley Econ Class Featured on NPR

A few weeks ago, there was a great piece on NPR about an Econ course being taught by Professor Anne Witte about Personal Finance Basics. I remember taking a workshop by the CWS senior year about real-life topics they don't usually teach in college (health insurance, negotiating leases, developing credit, saving for retirement, and all kinds of painfully adult things), but it wasn't nearly as comprehensive as Professor Witte's class probably is. I can't help but think that Professor Witte's course might make a good prereq.