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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.

A new report affirms that Wellesley graduates rise to the top of their fields and drive meaningful change across society.

Otto von Bosse is an unhappy foot surgeon in Berlin. Jack Holt is a math whiz who is expelled from his private Dallas high school the day before graduation. These two characters are fundamental to the latest novel by Amy Mitchell Poeppel ’88, Far and Away..

Wellesley’s 150th anniversary is a moment to honor the College’s long tradition of service and embody its motto, Non Ministrari sed Ministrare. To mark this milestone, the College community is aiming to collectively complete 150,000 hours of volunteer service worldwide by May 2026.

Wellesley offers alumnae the chance to travel the world through programs that extend the College’s intellectual community far beyond campus. In July 2025, for example, a group of alums and guests boarded the Diana, a 192-passenger expedition vessel, for a 10-night cruise along the coast of Norway and through its fjords.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Wellesley College opened its doors to 314 students eager to learn in a world that did not yet expect them to learn, let alone lead. Five years later, 59 graduates gathered in the drawing room of College Hall to form the Alumnae Association—planting the seeds of a community now over 35,000 strong.

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.