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It's really inspiring seeing the Smith community pull together in this challenging time, and our club (all of you!) are such a huge part of that. We've enjoyed seeing your faces and families (including my own diaper-clad toddler) during our virtual tea and happy hours this past month and looking forward to more in the future to help keep us all connected and sane. Planning for in-person gatherings is on hold for now, and we cancelled the events that we planned for this past month. Some glorious day in the future, we will once again gather and be merry Smithies together in-person! -- Samantha Li '09, Newsletter Editor
Upcoming Club Events
Keep an eye out for new and upcoming virtual events posted on our
facebook and
instagram accounts! These will have the most up-to-date info as we create new virtual meet-ups throughout the month. Also check out our
website for all news relating to the club.
Virtual Happy Hour
Friday, April 24, 6pm
Virtual Tea
Sunday, May 3, 4pm
Virtual Happy Hour
Friday, May 15, 6pm
Virtual Tea
Sunday, May 24, 4pm
Club News
A Sweet Farewell
For the last several years, the club was so lucky to have Fatima Hanif serving on our board. She took on many different roles, from managing memberships to coordinating care packages as well as book awards. You would have also seen her at many of the past events, setting-up, cleaning-up, and preparing food for all the Smithies to enjoy. She works full time and takes care of her elderly parents, so her roles in the club allowed her the flexibility of working on her own time when she could. It was always important to her to contribute despite how busy life became. Her dedication to Smith College and our club comes from a strong belief in giving back. Without a scholarship from Smith, she would not have been able to attend or graduate from such a prestigious institution. Fatima hopes to continue being part of the club and feels proud of our strong and committed board. She greatly values the friendships she's developed with Smithies from the club, and particularly admires their ability to think outside the box and keep an open mind by welcoming new ideas and respecting everyone's opinion. Fatima will be missed on the board, but we look forward to seeing her at many more gatherings in the future!
Welcome to the Club Board!
Jun Helzer '02, Morris House. I am a consumer psychologist and currently work in tech. I am relatively new to the area and am looking forward to meeting more Smithies, especially if you love food, yoga, dance, and/or cats!
Nisha Thatte-Potter '88, Ziskind/Baldwin House. I'm a former New-Englander who has been in the bay area for 15 years now working as an engineering manager. I'm an empty-nester and looking forward to getting back to traveling!
Virtual Admissions Event
On April 11th, the Peninsula Club hosted its first virtual tea for admitted students in conjunction with the Office of Admission. Deanna Dixon '88, Dean of Admission, and Lia Brassord '83, Asst. Director, joined a panel of local alumnae and current students to share their Smith stories and answered questions from approximately 15 admitted students from Peninsula and San Francisco high schools.
Special thanks to Jess Feinberg '18, Tjasa Kmetec '22, Lindsey Rosenthal '22 for serving as panelists, moderated by Marylou Cronin '88.
Virtual Club Events
Smithies gathered virtually for tea and conversation on March 13th and 29th. The first virtual happy hour was hosted on March 27th during
which we got very good at Zoom backgrounds and had way too much fun reenacting the Brady Bunch intro sequence.
Tips for Sanity and Health in Times of COVID-19
Sara Biyabani '84 has some tips to share that she learned from a cardiologist friend turned lifestyle medicine doctor: practice relaxation techniques, engage in regular physical activity (preferably outdoors), and eat a whole food, plant-based diet as much as possible.
Practice relaxation techniques to help handle anxiety and stressful thoughts. Engage in self-care: unplug from news and social media to focus on you, use deep breathing to calm, and channel positive emotions by practicing gratitude.
Engage in regular physical activity by moving and elevating your heart-rate for at least 30 minutes everyday (unless your doctor has told you otherwise). This could include walking, running, playing ball, stretching, yoga, dancing, or however else you like to move!
Eat a whole food, plant-based diet as much as possible. There have been some studies looking at plant-based diets lowering the risk of diseases associated with chronic inflammation, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety and depression. Avoid highly processed foods, which can be detrimental to your health.
Virtual Illumination for Commencement
There's a movement started by Michelle Stahl AC '95 calling on all Smithies around the world to "be part of the light" by hanging a lantern outside their homes at sunset on May 16th and then sharing images across social media. Check out the facebook event. President McCartney is planning on hanging one at the President's House, and hopefully a few more on campus. Here's some inspiration -- really hoping someone makes the "Jazzy Rainbow Lamp." Hope you can join us and remember to share your photos!
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| Photos from Illumination night from the 2019 Commencement celebrations |
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Bulb Show Virtual Tour
Enjoy some beautiful flowers and hear all about the work at the Botanic Gardens on campus from some very knowledgeable students during
this virtual tour of the Bulb Show
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Book Club Events
Twelve of us met virtually on Wednesday, March 18th to discuss "Bad Blood" by John Carreyrou. Thanks to Eric Anderson, husband of book club regular Tracey Stanelun, who hosted us on his Zoom account. Meeting virtually isn't as good as meeting face-to-face, but we all agreed it's better than not meeting. Our discussion was enhanced by the insights of Sarah Ngola '93, a biochemist who interviewed at Theranos back in the day.
In general, we liked this book, some even finding it "riveting," although there was a countervailing opinion that it got repetitive and therefore tedious. We felt that the author's approach --
journalistic, with a focus on people rather than chronology -- prevented it from cohering as a book with a compelling narrative arc. Nonetheless, we appreciated his careful sourcing and reporting and were intrigued by his portrait of Elizabeth Holmes -- narcissistic, pathological, charismatic, litigious, manipulative -- and marveled at how long she held her impossible enterprise aloft.
On Wednesday, April 15th, nine of us met virtually to discuss "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison. Reactions ranged from "loved it" to "found it hard to get into," but we all appreciated the high literary quality, beautiful language, nuanced characters, spectacular storytelling, and depth of its depiction of an African American community and its culture amid Jim Crow, segregation, discrimination and oppression. And there's so much more, including the impact of trauma on a family for generations; family dynamics, especially when secrets are being concealed; an individual quest for self-understanding and authenticity; themes of flying; the significance of names ... a remarkable book that rewards a second reading, as two of us can attest.
Upcoming:
May 20: "Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?" by Roz Chast
If you're interested in joining the book club, please contact
Sally Smith '64
for more information.
Stay tuned for more Smithie events and news next month.
Thanks!
Samantha Li '09
Newsletter Editor
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