Dear fellow alums,

“March Madness” has taken on a whole other meaning this month with our crazy weather and atmospheric rivers hitting California. We hope everyone hasn’t been too impacted by the storms. 

Thank you to everyone who attended the Cal Women’s Gymnastic competition on March 12! We had such a great time cheering on the Cal team as they went head to head with UC Davis, Sac State, and Arizona. It was, perhaps, the first time ever that we organized such an event! We hope to host another sports outing soon. Kudos to our Board President Katie Wynen ’05 for spearheading this event.

Separately, we also held our monthly Book Club meeting and discussed The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, a gripping tale about love, friendship, grief, and the bond between a woman and her dog. If you long for the deep, intellectual discussions that you once had with classmates over coffee at Mount Holyoke, then we invite you to join the Book Club. In May, Book Club members will gather in person to attend the Bay Area Book Festival! You don’t want to miss it! 

Join the Club Board

Interested in being more involved with the Club? We invite you to consider joining our Board! We welcome alums from across our Northern California region. Board meetings are held via Zoom. 

The next term begins July 1, 2023. Please peruse the board descriptions and if there are positions that spark your interest, email the current Board. We’re always looking for fresh perspectives and new ideas, and look forward to hearing from you.  

Pay Your Dues 

Thank you to everyone who has already paid dues and/or become lifetime members. To pay membership dues for the 2022-2023 year or to become a lifetime member, visit the following website: MHC Club of Northern CA Membership Dues. If you prefer to pay by check, please email us. 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 together to explore ways to financially support the Club.

And finally, save the date for our Annual Club Meeting on Saturday, June 10. Location and time to be announced soon.

Until next month,

The Board

Upcoming Events:

NorCal Book Club –  Shubeik Lubeik – a graphic novel by Deena Mohamed 

When: Wednesday, April 5, 2023; 6:00–7:00 pm PT
Where: Join us on Zoom.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03 

Join us for reading, learning, and community as we discuss books by BIPOC authors. All meetings will be on Wednesdays, 6:00–7:00 pm on Zoom.

Here are the meeting dates and book selections through June 2023:
June 21 – The White Mosque, a memoir by Sofia Samatar
__________________________________________

Class of 2027 Open House
When: Saturday, April 8, 2023; 2:00 – 4:30 pm
Where: *Address provided upon registration*
Cost: Free. All alumni are welcome.
Point person:  Eleanor Chang ’78

Join us to welcome the newly admitted Class of 2027 and their families to our Open House. Alums will share their experiences and stories. Please register via Eventbrite as space is limited. Location will be provided upon registration.

Joaquin Miller Hike
When: Saturday, April 15, 2023; 9:30 am
Where: 3594 Sanborn Dr, Oakland, CA 94602
Cost: Free. All alumni are welcome, regardless of club affiliation
Point person: Leah Hellerstein ’08

Join us for a moderate intensity hike in the beautiful Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland! We will meet at the parking area (3594 Sanborn Dr, Oakland, CA 94602) and take a trail that starts from there. If you have suggestions/recommendations on trails in Joaquin Miller, please email Leah. For those that are interested, we can end our walk at the nearby L’ACAJOU Cafe for lunch and coffee! The hike will take place weather permitting, final confirmation will be sent the night before. Register via Eventbrite.

________________________________________

NorCal Book Club –  On The Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

When: Sunday, May 7, 2023; 10:00 am PT
Where: Join us in person! Register via Eventbrite.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03 

We will meet and discuss the book at the home of Arly Cassidy ’03 (address provided upon registration). Afterwards, we’ll grab lunch and head to the Bay Area Book Festival at 12:30 pm to attend a panel discussion featuring Wilkerson, moderated by Jasmin Darznik, author of Song of a Captive Bird.

Here are the meeting dates and book selections through June 2023:
June 21 – The White Mosque, a memoir by Sofia Samatar
____________________________________________

Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________

Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon! 

• Join our Club’s Facebook Page 

• Follow us on Instagram – don’t forget to tag your photos from our events with #mhcnorcal

• Share resources, your virtual events, and more, directly in the Club Facebook Group

• Bookmark our Club website

• Update your contact info in the Alum Directory using these instructions

• Connect with our growing professional network on LinkedIn

• Email us if you’d like to get further involved with the Club or share feedback 

• Learn more about and consider joining the Board 

Dear fellow alums,

With the short month of February behind us, we’re looking forward to leaping into spring! Thank you to those of you who joined us last week for our book club organized by Hannah Fairbanks ’03. We have a couple of social events lined up for March and April and we hope to see some new and familiar faces! We wish everyone a happy Women’s International Day and History Month!

Until next month,

The Board

Upcoming Events:
_______________________________________________

Cal Women’s Gymnastic vs UC Davis, Sac State & Arizona
When: Sunday, March 12, 2023; 1:00 pm
Where: 115 Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: $15 for adults & $10 for youth. This event is open to all alums and their guests.
Point person: Katie Wynen ’05

Do you miss supporting collegiate athletics? Remember the excitement of live sports at Kendall? Join us at Haas Pavilion at UC Berkeley to support Cal Women’s Gymnastic as they compete against UC Davis, Sac State and Arizona! Bring your family and friends. 

**Prices will drop down to $6 or $5 each if we have a group of 10 or more!** 

RSVP via Eventbrite.
________________________________________

NorCal Book Club –  Shubeik Lubeik – a graphic novel by Deena Mohamed 

When: Wednesday, April 5, 2023; 6:00–7:00 pm PT
Where: Join us on Zoom.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03 

Join us for reading, learning, and community as we discuss books by BIPOC authors. All meetings will be on Wednesdays, 6:00–7:00 pm on Zoom.

Here are the meeting dates and book selections through June 2023:

May: (Date, time, and book pending). The Book Club will meet in person for the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley.
June 21 – The White Mosque, a memoir by Sofia Samatar
__________________________________________

Joaquin Miller Hike
When: Saturday, April 15, 2023; 9:30 am
Where: 3594 Sanborn Dr, Oakland, CA 94602
Cost: Free. All alumni are welcome, regardless of club affiliation
Point person: Leah Hellerstein ’08

Join us for a moderate intensity hike in the beautiful Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland! We will meet at the parking area (3594 Sanborn Dr, Oakland, CA 94602) and take a trail that starts from there. If you have suggestions/recommendations on trails in Joaquin Miller, please email Leah. For those that are interested, we can end our walk at the nearby L’ACAJOU Cafe for lunch and coffee! The hike will take place weather permitting, final confirmation will be sent the night before. Register via Eventbrite.

Pay Your Dues 

Many thanks to those who have already paid dues and/or become lifetime members. To pay membership dues for the 2022-2023 year or to become a lifetime member, visit the following website: MHC Club of Northern CA Membership Dues. If you prefer to pay by check, please email us. 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 together to explore ways to financially support the Club.

_______________________________________________

Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________

Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon! 

• Join our Club’s Facebook Page 

• Follow us on Instagram – don’t forget to tag your photos from our events with #mhcnorcal

• Share resources, your virtual events, and more, directly in the Club Facebook Group

• Bookmark our Club website

• Update your contact info in the Alum Directory using these instructions

• Connect with our growing professional network on LinkedIn

• Email us if you’d like to get further involved with the Club or share feedback 

• Learn more about and consider joining the Board 

Dear fellow alums,

Happy New Year! We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful and restorative holiday season! We are looking forward to the year ahead and connecting with both new and familiar alums at our upcoming events, including our monthly book club gatherings, Mary Lyon tea celebrations, a virtual financial literacy happy hour, our annual Lunar New Year Cookalong, and a conversation with Mount Holyoke’s Interim President Beverly Tatum, to name a few! 

Wishing you wellness and a joyful new year!

Best,

The Board

Upcoming Events:
_______________________________________________

NorCal Book Club – The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

When: Wednesday, January 11, 2023. 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PT
Where: Register for this event on Zoom.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03 

Join us for reading, learning, and community as we discuss books by BIPOC authors. All meetings will be on Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m. on Zoom.
_______________________________________________

Financial Literacy Happy Hour

When: Thursday, January 19, 2023. 6-7 p.m.

Where: Zoom (Register for the link)

Point person: Laura Donovan ’13 and Catherine Geeslin ’14 from Sonder Financial

Calling all recent alums! We will be hosting a financial literacy happy hour to help answer your questions about finances. Topics will include a mix of pre-planned content covering the main ideas you need to know about personal finance. Hosts will also field any lingering questions from the audience. After registering for the event, you will receive a link to join and a reminder notification a few days before the event. Be sure to bring your favorite beverage!

About our presenters:

Laura Donovan ’13, is founder and president of Sonder Financial, and Catherine Geeslin ’14, is the managing director. Sonder Financial provides financial planning services to help people of all incomes manage their finances and meet their goals. Sonder’s financial representatives work with clients to understand where they are currently, where they want to be, and help them connect the dots on everything else. 

_______________________________________________

Lunar New Year Cookalong
When: Sunday, January 29, 2023, 3:00-5:00 pm  PT
Where: Virtual. Register for this event on Zoom. 
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Sarah Lau ’07 

The Club’s annual Lunar New Year Cookalong returns to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit! During this casual cookalong, we’ll prepare hand-pulled noodles. 

The noodles require just four basic ingredients: all-purpose flour, water, salt, and oil. We will also prepare a few simple toppings/sauces together – or feel free to enjoy the noodles with any soup, sauce and/or toppings you’d prefer. 

To allow sufficient time for us to prepare the dough and pull, cook and enjoy the noodles together as a group, we will follow a recipe with an abbreviated dough resting time. The recipe will be emailed in advance to all who register for the cookalong. 

Looking forward to celebrating, chatting, and cooking with you!
__________________________________________

Save the Date: MHC Visits the Bay Area
When: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 – Palo Alto (morning); Wednesday, February 1, 2023 – San Francisco (evening)
Where: TBD
Cost: Free. These events are open to all alums.
Point person: Katie Wynen ’05 (NorCal Club); Trudy Levy ’69 (Penn Club)

Please save the date for two special events hosted by the Alumnae Association with the Mount Holyoke Clubs of Northern California and the Peninsula in early 2023 when Mount Holyoke College visits the Bay Area. An email to “save the date” was sent by the Alumnae Association on 12/21/22. Didn’t receive it? Update your contact info in the Alum Directory using these instructions.

We’ll be joined in conversation by Beverly Daniel Tatum, interim president of Mount Holyoke, and alums representing an array of roles across the tech and entrepreneurial sectors for a vibrant gathering of our Bay Area communities. 

__________________________________________

Pay Your Dues 

Many thanks to those of you who have already paid your dues and/or become lifetime members. Your annual dues payments and donations enable our volunteer-run club to host a diverse slate of events and programs throughout the year. Dues pay for renting event venues, food and beverages when applicable, guest speakers, offsetting costs of certain events, subsidizing costs for those who normally wouldn’t attend because of lack of funds, and much more.  

If you want to pay membership dues for the 2022-2023 year or become a lifetime member, please do so here: MHC Club of Northern CA Membership Dues. If you prefer to pay by check, please email us. 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.

_______________________________________________

Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________

Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon! 

• Join our Club’s Facebook Page 

• Follow us on Instagram – don’t forget to tag your photos from our events with #mhcnorcal

• Share resources, your virtual events, and more, directly in the Club Facebook Group

• Bookmark our Club website

• Update your contact info in the Alum Directory using these instructions

• Connect with our growing professional network on LinkedIn

• Email us if you’d like to get further involved with the Club or share feedback 

• Learn more about and consider joining the Board