05/06/2023
If someone would have told me 32 years ago when I graduated from Vassar that 1 day not only would I be a trustee of my alma mater, but that I’d also host an evening for my college at The Kennedy Center to raise $500MILLION dollars (we’re halfway there!), I’d have been like, “Uh...what???”. I’d have thought, “This Black girl from Sharpnack Street in East Mt. Airy in Philly has to figure out paying off student loans!!”
The incredible thing is that for my first job in 1991 I earned $22,000/year as an Urban Fellow and my rent share in Brooklyn (what a fly brownstone!) was $443 (yes, I remember exactly!)- I would send a check for $25 sometimes $50 whenever the annual fund requests came flooding in.
The thing is, I truly did NOT think my gifts made a difference, or were barely a drop in the bucket. I gave what I could because I was raised by incredibly philanthropic parents who modeled giving & service to me. They were not financially wealthy, but boy, were they wealthy in grace, spirit & consciousness. Plus, I had a clarity that Vassar was the place that gave me my intellectual cajones, and most importantly- helped me to have a friggin’ point of view.
But then came the day when I was about 26 y.o, browsing through the annual fund report, & noticed my name with a little asterix next to it: I was included among a group of donors for consistent giving of 5+ years. I was flabbergasted. They noticed? My little checks? Amongst alums who were able to give tens and hundreds of 1000’s of dollars?
Wow.
Last night was so much fun, so many great reminders of what a privilege it is to have experienced a stellar education with incredible professors and among a group of people who, simply put, continue to embrace learning in this world. Big thanks to President Betsy Bradley for stewarding us on to great work, to the awesome Vassar team that produced Vassar’s event and to my fellow Vassar alums who showed up and will support in whatever way works for them.
ALSO- I enjoyed dressing up for last night. Shout out to the fashion designers: Coat by Jaencike; suit & blouse designed by Amrapur Tailors; shoes by Prada; clutch by Yves Saint Laurent.
