It was a cool, gray morning, but the members of green class of 2017 greeted their first official event as alumnae of Wellesley College with warmth and enthusiasm as the WCAA treated them to brunch to celebrate reaching their graduation goal.
Georgia Murphy Johnson ’75, president of the WCAA, and Laura Daignault Gates ’72, chair of the Wellesley College Board of Trustees, welcomed the class. “Go out there and achieve your dreams—and dream big,” Gates said.
Rachel Thommen ’17 and Feliz Smith ’17 presented President Paula Johnson with the class gift of $16,354—an amount reflecting 85 percent participation. “Each of us has benefited from the generosity of those who have come before us,” Thommen said. “Now it is our turn to pay it forward.”
The class invited Michael Jeffries, associate professor of American studies, to be the faculty speaker at the event. He exhorted them to be prepared to fight for a better world. “Wellesley shapes you, and you leave equipped to deal with cruelty and injustice in all its forms,” he said.
After Jeffries’ speech, Georgia Murphy Johnson invited the class to stand to be inducted into the Wellesley College Alumnae Association. Then it was on to rehearsal for their next big date—commencement.
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