Paying it Forward

AS A CPA, JULIE ARNOLD ’94 HAS VAST EXPERIENCE IN CALCULATING WHAT’S INDEBTED. PERHAPS THAT’S WHY SHE HAS CONTINUED TO GIVE BACK TO MCLA.

“MCLA did a lot for me, giving me the necessary skills,” she said. “I just feel like I owe them something.” Arnold grew up in Eastern Massachusetts and stayed in the area after graduation; she now lives in Pownal, Vt., and is a partner at Gadja, Arnold, and McConnell, an accounting firm in Williamstown, Mass. “I mostly put myself through school,” she said. “I’m OK where I am financially. If I can give money to make someone else’s life better, great.” A handful of MCLA interns have earned experience at Arnold’s firm over the past few years, including David Flight ’20, who was hired as a full-time employee after his internship concluded. “MCLA prepared David well and thus enabled him to pursue his career right away,” Arnold said. After joining the MCLA Foundation as a corporator in 2013, Arnold joined the foundation’s board in 2015 and currently serves as chair. She’s also a member of the College’s Taconic Society, which recognizes those who have given $1,000 or more to MCLA. The Foundation, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to the growth, development and support of MCLA, meets quarterly. “It’s not a huge amount of your time, but it’s really important,” said Arnold. “It keeps you up to date about what’s going on at the school and allows you to make suggestions and be involved as much as you want to be involved.” Moving forward, the Foundation board will be talking about increasing the diversity of its members.

MCLA DID A LOT FOR ME, GIVING ME THE NECESSARY SKILLS.”

Arnold said that since Foundation meetings became virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s now possible to recruit outside the Berkshires, which could mean more diverse participants (more than 90 percent of Berkshire residents are white). “We’ve been trying to move in that direction. We need to step up our efforts to include all people of color—we have people of color on the board now, we need to be deliberate in our recruiting efforts in order to be more diverse.” Asked what she would say to someone thinking of giving back to the College, Arnold is practical: “I think if they’re asking, they probably had a very positive experience at MCLA,” she said. “But giving back to the institution that got you to where you are today is really satisfying. You can be assured it will be put to good use. There are many students that benefit from the scholarships, the internships, the Resiliency Fund, and other funds. The efforts of donors don’t go unnoticed. It’s a big, and very important, part of the financial makeup of the college.”

LEARN MORE + GIVE TODAY

bit.ly/Give2MCLA