Diana Martinez ’11 shares some of her favorite Bay Area hikes with other local alums
Dear fellow alums,
In July we hosted Summer Hikes Show & Tell, a live online event where Diana Martinez ’11 and Stephanie Corrales ’16 shared some of their favorite Bay Area hiking, backpacking, and adventuring spots. We’re hoping to meet on one of those very trails sometime later this summer—our first in-person event in more than 16 months! Stay tuned for more information about this fun outdoor gathering, now that the Alum Association has approved hosting in-person events.
If you would like to host an in-person event in your area, we are happy to connect you to alums in your vicinity. Over the last year, we have hosted 42 virtual events. While we are delighted to meet in person, we also see value in continuing our events live online. Our club spans a vast geographic region and virtual events allow us to connect for more topical and interest-focused connections.
Speaking of our geographic area, new Club President Marija Vulfs ’08, former Co-Vice President Elena Eimert ’15, along with the MHC Club of the Peninsula’s President, Trudy Levy ’69, have petitioned the Alum Association and College for the past year regarding negotiating our boundary lines. In conjunction with Danielle Lund, Associate Director of Digital Engagement at the College, we have come up with the proposed update. The map on the top shows the current boundary lines. The green area is the Club of Northern California’s current territory. The darker blue is the Club of the Peninsula’s, and the light blue encompasses the Southern California Club. The map on the bottom shows the proposed boundary shift.
The current territory has isolated certain East Bay and Central Valley members from the in-person events most commonly held closest to them by assigning them as members of the NorCal Club rather than as members of the Peninsula Club. By extending the boundary lines of the Peninsula Club east to the Nevada state line, we hope to be more inclusive of the 56 alums in that geographic area. The boundary shift would also re-classify 12 alums from the Peninsula Club area into the Northern California territory who currently live in Half Moon Bay and Daly City.
The Alum Association informed us that individuals within the proposed reclassified boundary area can choose to belong to both clubs. The NorCal Club has a long history of working in conjunction with the Club of the Peninsula to cross-promote events and collaborate hosting efforts. We hope that by redrawing the boundary lines, both Clubs can be as inclusive of members as possible. If you find yourself in a location whose boundary has been redrawn, please reach out and let us know if you would like to continue to be included in the Club of Northern California as well as the Club of the Peninsula.
The NorCal club is also rolling out a brand new mentoring program in September. Spearheaded by the Board’s co-Vice President, Jean Han ’87, this group will meet monthly to share personal and professional struggles and triumphs, discuss aspects of what we are pursuing and why, and engage in honest dialogue. The first meeting will be online but we hope to alternate between in-person and virtual meetings. Each gathering will feature a central question designed to spark meaningful, engaging, and intentional conversation. The question for our first meeting will be, “Is it worth it?” If you are interested in being part of this group as a mentor, are looking for mentorship, or simply want to join to learn, share, and create community, please reach out or join us at the first meeting on September 21st.
Lifetime Members
We want to extend a warm welcome to Ivy Fine ’90 and Amy Ashcroft ’99, our first Lifetime members of the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Thank you both for your generous donations, and your continued support of the NorCal Club! If any other alums would like to become Lifetime Members, we’d love to have you. Additionally, if your company offers corporate matching or incentives for volunteering or being a part of a non-profit organization, we are happy to work with them to find ways to financially support our Club. If you want to pay membership dues for the 2021-2022 year, please do so here: MHC Club of Northern CA Membership Dues. If you prefer to pay by check, please email us.
Common Read
The NorCal Club will be joining the College for the 2021 Common Read. The College has chosen The New York Times bestseller The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race, a collection of essays and poems edited by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.
The Common Read is part of Orientation programming and the College will be hosting a virtual discussion about the book on September 9th and the NorCal Book Club will gather via Zoom on September 15th. Grab a copy from a Black-owned bookstore, a favorite neighborhood independent bookseller, or the local public library, and meet us online for discussion and community.
Get in Touch
As we continue planning for our next fiscal year, please share with us what types of events, programs, and resources may best support you at this time or any which you may wish to offer. Email us or fill out this form to get started.
We’d love to showcase members of our alum community on social media. If you’re interested in sharing your story, let us know here.
We’re also still welcoming any recommendations of alums who have founded, work for, or volunteer at local Northern California organizations doing anti-racist work or fundraising and will include them in upcoming newsletters. Please send any recommendations to the Board at mountholyoke@gmail.com.
Our very best wishes,
– The Board