Dinner for Ten Strangers Sets the Table for Alumnae Connections
By ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ NewsClaire Newton ’02 had heard about ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s practice of regularly hosting “Dinner with Six Strangers” and thought it would be a fun and creative way to approach a question she had been pondering: how to expand opportunities for meaningful cross-generational connections among ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ women.
(L. to r.) Karen Kinsella ’84, Jessica Gharghour Schultz ’02, Ellen Mitchell ’92, Isabella Sarkisyan Jean ’01, Moira Kelly ’86, Claire Newton ’02,
Katherine Armstrong ’08, Audrey Leland ’18, Amanda Masselam Strachan ’95, Carolyn Sages O’Boyle ’00.
Newton, who is cochair of the 1794 Society Membership Committee and a new initiative called the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Network of Women (BNOW), made the decision to open her home to the idea but insisted on a twist. She, too, must fully participate in the “stranger” theme of the event.
“While this made planning slightly more difficult logistically, it was thrilling to open my door and be introduced to new ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ faces and have the opportunity to get to know the guests along with everyone else,” Newton said.
Throughout an evening of drinks, dinner, and conversation, the ten invited women, who were selected out of a belief they might enjoy connecting with other women, opened up to each other about their shared ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ experience, varied as it may be, and their feelings and motivations around accepting the invitation.
Jessica Schultz ’07 said she has wanted to make ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ connections in the city since she and her husband first moved there three years ago.
“I enjoyed hearing stories from others about their time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, meeting people who graduated from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ who live and work right in my backyard, and making those new connections,” Schultz said, adding that she appreciated the perspectives from women from across different class years.
Isabella Jean ’01 said she has always enjoyed meeting people in different stages of life and welcomed the chance to reconnect with fellow Polar Bears, especially after having missed her reunion due to the pandemic.
Jean said her time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ was “such a different experience from those in the ’80s. It was amazing to hear their stories.”
Similarly, Karen Kinsella ’84 noted the group was a nice array of years and that “it was fun to reminisce, learn how things have changed, and hear people’s campus experiences over the years.”
After the event, the consensus among the “strangers no more” was that they did indeed feel a connection and that the intimacy enjoyed by being able to gather in someone’s home made an impact.
Jean says she went home and texted her closest ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ friends across the country to tell them about the night and to keep an eye out for similar events in their areas.
Amanda Masselam Strachan ’95 came away “swimming in memories” and reached out to schedule a time to talk with her college roommate; the two caught up a short time later.
Newton, like her guests, found the event energizing. “I met fantastic alumnae who are all engaged in their communities in a multiplicity of ways and whom I probably would not have met otherwise,” she said. “I left even more committed to amplifying the voices of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ women and creating new opportunities for them to connect and engage with each other.”
If you’re interested in hosting a similar gathering in your area, please contact Jane Camp or Kathleen Sykes to learn more.