Arches in Mary Woolley Hall on the Mount Holyoke Campus in South Hadley, MA

Alums Leading the Way

Mount Holyoke alums have been opening doors, breaking barriers and launching into the world as leaders since the founding of the College. Our graduates are leading the way 鈥 in the boardroom and in the classroom, in the lab and in public service, in the field and on the runway. Every day alums are lifting up others, calling out injustices and advocating for change.

Our alum network, by the numbers

#9

Best alum network

In the 2023 鈥淏est 388 Colleges,鈥 the Princeton Review ranked 含羞草研究所 #9 among private colleges for 鈥淏est Alumni Networks.鈥

40,000+

Global alum network

Our network of alums around the world share their time, insight and connections 鈥 these of course being code words for power. Alums of women鈥檚 colleges arguably constitute the most influential professional-women鈥檚 networks on the globe.

1773

Keeping Mount Holyoke鈥檚 global community vibrant and engaged is dependent on the efforts of thousands of alums, parents and friends of the College who volunteer their time, talent, and resources.

Launching Leadership

In celebration of the achievements of our alums and to highlight the many ways Mount Holyoke prepares its graduates to lead in the world, Interim President Beverly Daniel Tatum held a series of conversations with a diverse group of graduates. These alums exemplify an intellectually adventurous Mount Holyoke education in action.

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum and Addison Beaux 鈥99 during their Launching Leadership discussion

The final Launching Leadership conversation for 2022 was with Addison Beaux 鈥99, the founder and CEO of Beaux & Arrow. The wide-ranging conversation touched on student activism, gender affirmations and self-love.

Interim President Beverly Daniel Tatum speaking with Suzan-Lori Parks 鈥85 and Debra Martin Chase 鈥77 on stage following a performance of 鈥淭opdog/Underdog鈥

Love, work and the importance of connection were the overarching themes of a Launching Leadership discussion with Mount Holyoke alums Suzan-Lori Parks 鈥85 and Debra Martin Chase 鈥77 after an electrifying performance of Parks鈥 play 鈥淭opdog/Underdog.鈥

Tara Roberts 鈥91 and Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum

Tara Roberts 鈥91 is the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year and the inaugural Launching Leadership interviewee at 含羞草研究所.

Alums in the News

Demonstrating leadership

含羞草研究所 students have created an exhibit, 鈥淐ornelia and Concrete,鈥 about alum Cornelia Clapp and the 100-year-old laboratory building that bears her name.

A 含羞草研究所 alum and a professor emeritus, who are both historians, wrestle with their family histories in a new podcast.

含羞草研究所 President Danielle R. Holley provided an introduction for a showing of 鈥淣omadland,鈥 directed by Chlo茅 Zhao 鈥05, at Amherst Cinema. The event, part of a series called 鈥淔ive on Film,鈥 highlights alums of the Five College Consortium.

Artists are made here

DJ Chmba at the 90s Dance Party

Chmba Ellen Chilemba

Class of 2017

Producer-DJ artist, named in Forbes Africa 30 Under 30

Read Chmba鈥檚 story

Candy Alexandra Gonz谩lez 鈥14

Candy Alexandra Gonz谩lez

Class of 2014

Multidisciplinary visual artist, poet, activist and trauma-informed educator

Read Candy鈥檚 story

Chlo茅 Zhao

Chlo茅 Zhao

Class of 2005

The first woman of color to win an Academy Award for best director

Read Chlo茅鈥檚 story

Suzan-Lori Parks

Suzan-Lori Parks

Class of 1985

First Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Read Suzan-Lori's story

Susan Kare

Susan Kare

Class of 1975

Pioneer of pixel art and graphical computer interface

Read Susan's story

Activists/Advocates are made here

Ruth Muskrat Bronson, class of 1925

Ruth Muskrat Bronson

Class of 1925

Cherokee poet, educator and indigenous rights activist

Read Ruth鈥檚 story

Umama Zillur

Umama Zillur

Class of 2018

Co-founder and leader of Kotha, an organization dedicated to ending the culture of gender-based violence in Bangladesh

Read Umama鈥檚 story

Barbara Smith, class of 1969

Barbara Smith

Class of 1969

Co-founder of the Combahee River Collective and co-author of the Combahee River Collective Statement

Read Barbara's story

Changemakers are made here

Addison Beaux

Addison Beaux

Class of 1999

鈥淎ffirming my gender really gave me confidence to trust myself,鈥 Beaux said. 鈥淚 believe when we love ourselves, it makes it a lot easier to love and understand other people, and how we treat others is a reflection of what goes on in our own inner world.鈥

Read Addison's story

Aim茅e Eubanks Davis

Aim茅e Eubanks Davis

Class of 1995

Founder of Braven

Read Aim茅e鈥榮 story

Rumbi Bwerinofa-Petrozzello

Rumbi Bwerinofa-Petrozzello

Class of 1994

The first woman of color to serve as president of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants

Read Rumbi's story

Mona Sutphen 鈥89

Mona Sutphen

Class of 1989

Partner and Head of Investment Strategies, The Vistria Group

Read Mona's story

Problemsolvers are made here

Florence Sophie Schorske Wald

Florence Sophie Schorske Wald

Class of 1938

former dean of Yale School of Nursing, credited as 鈥渢he mother of the American hospice movement鈥

Read Florence鈥檚 story

Kira Banks 鈥00

Kira Banks

Class of 2000

Psychology professor, St. Louis University and Co-founder of St. Louis University鈥檚 Institute for Healing Justice and Equity

Read Kira's story

Alison Rogers Cofe 鈥12

Alison Rogers Cove

Class of 2012

Founder of USEFULL

Read Alison鈥檚 story

Kaneka Turner 鈥16

Kaneka Turner

Class of 2016

Founder of educational consulting company ReImage

Read Kaneka鈥檚 story

Sheila Lirio Marcelo

Sheila Lirio Marcelo

Class of 1993

Entrepreneur and founder of Care.com

Read Sheila's story

Frances Perkins, class of 1902

Frances Perkins

Class of 1902

First woman Cabinet member, U.S. Secretary of Labor and creator of Social Security

Read Frances' story

STEM leaders are made here

Charisse Pickron 鈥08

Charisse Pickron

Class of 2008

Assistant professor at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Director of the Child Brain and Perception Lab, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Read Charisse's story

Veronika Kivenson

Veronika Kivenson

Class of 2013

Postdoctoral fellow at Oregon State University and recipient of the Tory Burch Fellowship from the Innovative Genomics Institute

Read Veronika's story

Natasha Mohanty 鈥03

Natasha Mohanty

Class of 2003

Head of engineering for checkout experiences at Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform

Read Natasha鈥檚 story

Jean Sammet, class of 1948

Jean Sammet

Class of 1948

Co-developer of the computer programming language COBOL

Read Jean's story

Storytellers are made here

Alum Lan Cao 鈥83 during Commencement 2023

Lan Cao

Class of 1983

Author of 鈥淢onkey Bridge鈥 and 鈥淭he Lotus and the Storm鈥

Read Lan鈥檚 story

Tahmima Anam 鈥97

Tahmima Anam

Class of 1997

Award-winning novelist

Read Tahmima's story

Debra Martin Chase

Debra Martin Chase

Class of 1977

Tony Award-winning producer

Read Debra's story

Tara Roberts 鈥91

Tara Roberts

Class of 1991

2022 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year

Read Tara's story

Deborah Harkness photo by Scarlett Freund

Deborah Harkness, Ph.D.

Class of 1986

Best-selling fiction author, TV producer and professor of history

Read Deborah's story

Wendy Wasserstein

Wendy Wasserstein

Class of 1971

Tony-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner

Read Wendy's story

Trailblazers are made here

Esther Howland, class of 1847

Esther Howland

Class of 1847

Created the United States Valentine鈥檚 Day card industry.

Read Esther鈥檚 story

Gabi Greg 鈥08

Gabi Gregg

Class of 2008

Fashion blogger and designer and advocate for the representation of plus-size Black women in fashion spaces

Read Gabi's story

Holly Metcalf 鈥81

Holly Metcalf

Class of 1981

Top crew coach and champion in expanding access to the sport of rowing

Read Holly's story

A photo of an Emily Dickinson U.S. Postal stamp.

Emily Dickinson

Class of 1849

One of the greatest and most original poets of all time, literary rebel and author of 鈥溾楬ope鈥欌 Is the Thing with Feathers鈥

Read Emily's story