In the Company of Women

OK, so this happened last week, but gimme a break, I'm busy here, OK?    Anyway, as a Douglass/Bunting student I get to attend the Plenary sessions at Voorhees Chapel, site of the annual Yule Log celebration (more on that later), and last Wednesday host to the induction ceremony for the Douglass Alumnae Association.  This year three amazing women were accepted into the DAA.   The first was Suchitra Hiranprueck, a native daughter of Thailand who attended Rutgers with the class of 1970 and went on to become a Global Ambassador for her country.  She told us in flawless and unaccented English (she speaks several languages including French, fluently) about how much she enjoyed her time at Rutgers, how welcoming everyone was, and how well her education here had prepared her for her incredibly distinguished career.  Next up was Marsha Lester, class of 1976, who is currently the Edmund J. Kahn Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania.  Like many students, she arrived at Rutgers undecided as to her major, and credits a member of the faculty for helping her to find her passion.  She found it with a vengeance, after being graduated from Rutgers she went on to earn her Ph.D. at Columbia University.  She was charming, poised and witty, and encouraged us to find our own passion, and claim what we wanted from our lives.  I was amazed at how inspiring she was, and as I looked at the sea of young faces below my balcony seat I knew many of them had been touched by her words as well.  Last, but certainly on par with her fellow honorees was Elizabeth Szancer, class of 1972,  an Art Curator who owns an advisory firm providing collection management and curatorial services to private collectors and corporate clients alike.  Elizabeth offered an example of the true gift of the teaching staff here at Rutgers.  She told us of a professor who gave her class a pop quiz one day, more than midway through the semester.  The quiz asked about the flooring in the lobby of the building she had just walked through to get to her class.  What was the flooring made of?  What color was it?  What color were the walls in the stairwell? How many trees were in the courtyard outside the building?  The idea, she explained, was to get her to start noticing the details of the environment she lived in.  She encouraged us to notice the details of our own lives, the color of our walls, as it were.  Need I tell you that I was rather awestruck by these women, and the knowledge that I too was expected to achieve greatness upon leaving the relative safety of school?  Can I possibly convey the sense of pride I felt in being part of an institution that regularly produces the exceptional people that change our world in ways great and small?  I am at once humbled and honored that I was chosen, along with all of you, to carry the Rutgers torch.  Events such as this really bring home exactly what that means.

Enough deep thought, on to the fun stuff!  Yule Log planning is well under way, our theme this year is "The guiding light from generations past lead us into bright futures".  The ceremony itself is beautiful and multi-denominational, celebrating the seasonal traditions of the world's major religions.  A reception is held immediately afterward in the lounge of the DCC, the menu is still in the planning stages, though I have heard words like Buche Noel (cake) and hot apple cider thrown about - and of course there's the fireplace, the music, and the social opportunities....

And now I must stop writing and get back to work, I've pushed my homework deadline as far as I dare!  Goodnight dear readers, sleep well.