Articles

Documentary director Jennifer Redfearn DS ’03 illuminates social issues through “the humanity of the people who are at the center,” she says. The 2024 Guggenheim Fellow’s work has a clear theme: curiosity. Curiosity about the natural world led her to an environmental studies major at Wellesley. Though Jennifer found “becoming a scientist wasn’t the best fit for the way my curiosity worked,” taking photography and film gave her new ways to explore.

Sometimes change needs to start with something small. Perhaps even a tiny butterfly the size of your thumbnail. “I realized if I could convince people to just plant a plant that a butterfly might visit, that starts them on the road to becoming nurturers of nature,” says Mary Benton ’80, founder of Bound by Beauty and president of GROW (Gardeners Restoring Our World) Miami.

For Sidney Aldridge Bonnet ’75, a retired pediatric hospitalist turned artist, landscape painting is more than a creative outlet—it is her way to give back to a deeply personal cause. For 22 years, Sidney’s son John, who has cerebral palsy and developmental delays, has lived at Marbridge, a nonprofit residential community in Manchaca, Texas. Since 1953, Marbridge has offered transitional and lifetime care for adults with developmental disabilities. John moved there right after high school. “The community is extraordinary,” Sidney says. “I have never seen a culture that is so beautiful and accepting.”

In September 1875, Wellesley College welcomed its first incoming class. More than 300 students showed up, along with mountains of luggage—and concerned family members. For a young woman to go off to college at the time was a break with the past. Imagine the courage they must have possessed!

The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, celebrating 100 years, foster both scientific and humanistic engagement with plants.

After losing her Altadena home to wildfire, Lynn Sternberger ’07 reflects on loss, accountability, and what it means to rebuild a community.

The Syrena Stackpole Award is given annually at reunion in recognition of a lifetime of dedicated service and exceptional commitment to Wellesley College. It was established in 1982 to honor Syrena Stackpole, class of 1909, an attorney who offered to rewrite the wills of alumnae wishing to leave money to the College, free of charge. She showed her commitment as an alumna by attending 63 consecutive reunions. The recipients of the Syrena Stackpole Award in 2025 were Charlotte Hayes ’75 and Georgia Murphy Johnson ’75.

I am thrilled to return to campus as the assistant vice president for alumnae relations and global engagement, and I’m eager to get to know and work with you as I settle into the role.

In March, more than 180 guests gathered at Asia Society Hong Kong for a vibrant discussion of leadership, community, and Wellesley’s enduring mission.