T HE
WO M E N ’ S
A DVA N C E M E N T
I NI T I AT I V E
/
U N I V E RS I T Y
OF
H A RT F ORD
/
2020
2020
CONTENTS / VOL. 03 / ISSUE 03
02 THE WOMEN’S ADVANCEMENT INITIATIVE uniquely positions women for success through education and leadership programs, research and scholarship opportunities, and career connections and experiences, which open minds and open doors. This distinctive program is built on the heritage of Hartford College for Women and is supported and sustained by a community of women and men who believe that advancing the potential of women is a personal and collective priority.
I NI T I AT I V E A DVA N C E M E N T WO M E N ’ S TH E facebook.com/ womensadvancement
Standing Together
Members of the HCW community reflect on support and empowerment as they advocated for change during important moments in history.
04
Finding Her Way
LEAD student Dow Paw ’23 discovers her strength to overcome obstacles and finds a supportive sisterhood.
DE PA R TM E N TS
M A N AGING E D ITO R Glandina Morris ’04
08 SCHOLARSHIP PROFILE
CO N T RIBUTING WRITE R Theresa Sullivan Barger
1 2 DO N O R R E P O R T
D E SI GN Lilly Pereira ’02
1 5 A N N UA L R E W I N D
/
U NI VE RS I T Y
OF
H A RT F ORD
/
F E ATU R E
1 0 DO N O R P R O F I L E
B OA R D OF F I CERS Pearl Douglas Chair Kelly Daly ’14 Treasurer Caryn Christensen Secretary B OA R D OF DI R EC TORS Tokunbo Akinbajo Tricia Brunton Judy Casperson Debbie Javit A’83 (HCW) Barry Lastra Karen Gibbs Orefice A’65 (HCW) Debra Palmer ’82 Molly O’Shea Polk Karen Reich Kate Farrow Stoddard A’72 (HCW) Dr. Katrina Turner Bill Webster Dr. Lisa Weisinger-Roland FOU N DI N G B OA R D CHA I R Lucille Nickerson
1 4 I M PAC T 1 6 H CW A LU MN A P R O F I L E
A R T DIRECTIO N Paula Ribeiro E D I TO RIAL ASS ISTANCE Jonathan Easterbrook ’87, M’90 Brayden Ransom ’20 Monica Sadil ’21 P H OTO GRAP H Y Paul Brown Chrysalis Center Give Kids The World Village Kristen Jensen Productions Jonathan Olson Magalie Khalife-Kayrouz Photography Amy Sommers Photography Matthew J. Wagner Photography Yearbook Collection (ARCH149). University of Hartford Archives and Special Collections. P R O F E SS IO NAL STAFF Amy Jaffe Barzach Sara Cerruto M’18 Glandina Morris ’04 H A R TFO RD.E D U/ WO M ENSADVANCEM ENT CO N TACT U S : 200 Bloomfield Avenue, GSU327 West Hartford, CT 06117 womenadv@hartford.edu 860.768.5961
DEA R A LU MN A E, PA R EN TS, A N D FR I EN DS, As I write this message, the word “hope” occupies my thoughts. Hope amidst challenges. Hope despite uncertainty. Hope in unity amongst division. This has been a difficult and defining year. A global pandemic isolated us while the deep-rooted history of racism in America united most in peaceful protests but provoked others and fueled the flames of hatred and ignorance. I wrestled with feelings of uncertainty, discomfort, frustration, cynicism, and resignation. Just over 60 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to the University of Hartford for the Keller Lecture Series. His speech, “The Future of Integration,” was a compelling and hopeful talk about the integration of schools following the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, which declared racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. Dr. King said, “As a result of that decision, we stand today on the threshold of the most creative and constructive period of our nation’s history. We’ve moved through the wilderness of ‘separate but equal,’ and we now stand on the border of the promised land of integration.” Here we are again at another crossroad. Like Dr. King, we are choosing hope. Hope and action is what propels our organization forward. We promise our students a strong foundation and to empower them with the necessary skills to thrive. We will continue to fulfill that mission by creating more open platforms to discuss equity, inclusion, and how we all can be a voice for change. This spring, we shifted to virtual programming so that our students could still benefit from feeling connected to a supportive community. Our seniors, poised to enter a new world full of unknowns, received a graduation box with their LEAD certificates and honor cords symbolically intertwined with University of Hartford red and Hartford College for Women (HCW) blue. This fall, we welcomed our students back—in person and virtually. Together, we have persevered through challenges. As our first-year students begin their college journeys, I am reminded of their inspiring application messages, including “being a leader is about standing tall in times of struggle” and “the way to become better versions of ourselves is to learn from seeing the best in others.” I see their courage and passion, which incites energy, all critical elements of positive change. These young women represent future change agents, presidents, community organizers, mothers, and neighbors. They represent hope. We will continue to challenge and support our students in the HCW tradition as we create an even better space for them to grow, to evolve, and to be empowered. PEA R L DOU GLAS, Chair, The Women’s Advancement Initiative Board of Directors, Proudly Continuing the Legacy of Hartford College for Women, womenadv@hartford.edu
Hartford College for Women photo featured in the 1970 Highlander yearbook.
2 / F E AT U R E
A DYNAMIC COMMUNITY
Stands Together Hartford College for Women alumnae and LEAD students embrace diversity and empower others.
“ These are challenging times for the world. I am fortunate to be part of an organization like LEAD that brings together women of all backgrounds and encourages us to share our voice and engage in positive change.” Hannah Francis ’20, LEAD alumna, Illustration major with psychology and art history minors @hanfran.art / HannahFrancis.art@gmail.com
T H E W O M E N ’ S A D VA N C E M E N T I N I T I AT I V E
On October 15, 1969, students, faculty, and staff from Hartford College for Women (HCW) linked arms and marched in solidarity from their peaceful and tranquil campus to Bushnell Park in downtown Hartford where they united with an estimated 10,000 strangers to protest the war in Vietnam. That day is remembered by millions as Moratorium Day. It was a day, like many others, where students at HCW were encouraged to develop a wider worldview and share their voice. Laura Johnson, third dean (1943–58) and first president (1958–76) of HCW, created a supportive and inclusive college environment. Students were selected to represent diversity in backgrounds and perspectives. The College was celebrated for its unique focus on building a dynamic community composed of young women who were building their own self-confidence and discovering their unique strengths; faculty and staff who were committed to scholarship and mentorship; and a multitude of women and men who believed that advancing the potential of women was a personal and collective priority. Together, they advocated for change and witnessed important moments in history.
Miriam “Mims” Butterworth, acting president of HCW (1979–80), met Eleanor Roosevelt at the American Youth Congress of 1939 in Washington D.C., attended the Paris Peace Talks in 1971, took the peace train to a World Conference on Women in Beijing at 77 years old, and worked as a lifelong champion of peace and justice. For 70 years, HCW alumnae recall being together for other significant world events that inspired change—World War II, the Korean War, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Moment, the moon landing, Title IX, the Cold War, and the nomination of the first woman, Sandra Day O’Connor, to the Supreme Court. In 2020, amidst times of concern and change, we also reflect on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting the women’s right to vote. We also celebrate the life of Ruth Bader
F E AT U R E
/ 3
As the sisterhood across time continues to expand, students and alumnae support and challenge each other as they stand together for positive change.
Ginsburg. She fought to eradicate gender discrimination and was a champion for women’s equality. Many HCW alumnae and friends are fortunate to recall those vivid memories—memories of the community that supported them from the very beginning and encouraged them to persevere through obstacles. “Our HCW environment taught self-esteem and social awareness,” says Karen Gibbs Orefice, a 1965 graduate of Hartford College. “It was a setting for cultural and academic direction. I think we would all agree that our diverse experiences, interests, and talents came together at HCW to create something very special.” “Thanks to the faculty and staff, my two years at HCW will be cherished forever,” comments Zulma Santos, a 1985 graduate of HCW. “Through our
experiences, we matured and face our world with a better understanding of ourselves.” Today, we are reminded of the values and principles that were the foundation of HCW and instilled in its students— to support, challenge, and empower each other, to build self-confidence, to embrace our differences, to advocate for equity and justice, and to share their voices. The HCW legacy of community, diversity, empowerment, learning, and scholarship continues with The Women’s Advancement Initiative. Its LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) program was inspired by the way students at HCW were challenged and supported. LEAD students also represent diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs, and stand together for change. On August 28, the 57th
Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic March on Washington, Jasmine Streeter ’21, a senior in LEAD, organized and led a march around the University of Hartford campus to advocate for equity and social justice for people of color. These young women walk in the footsteps of HCW alumnae and are continuing to celebrate the proud legacy left for them. In their lifetime, this has been a year like no other. Each day, they inscribe their own chapter in the next history book. As the sisterhood across time continues to expand, they stand together for positive change. Large photo: HCW alumnae featured in the 1973 Highlander yearbook. Upper right: Margaret Hayes and Nancy Jorge in the 1976 Highlander yearbook. Lower right: HCW alumnae from the Class of 1990, Carrie Smith (left) and Kimberly Jones.
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD / 2020
4 / F E AT U R E
F E AT U R E / 5
Doh Paw ’23 discovers her strength to overcome obstacles and finds a supportive LEAD community.
Finding Her Way Doh Paw ’23 wanted to attend college out of state so she could live on campus and escape family responsibilities. She had been translating her parents’ conversations with doctors, nurses, and lawyers since the age of 12 and wanted to walk away from that role. The night she planned to send her deposit in, she couldn’t do it. Her family needed her to drive, translate, and write letters. She couldn’t abandon them. She felt she was holding herself back when, instead, she sent her deposit to the University of Hartford, a five-minute drive from her family’s Hartford apartment.
6 / F E AT U R E
“Now, I would not go anywhere else,” says Doh, a sophomore. “If I transferred, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have at the University of Hartford with LEAD, Helping Hawk Service Scholars, and my professors. I picked it because it was close to home. I was shocked to find how much I like the school. Even though I commute every day, I am still able to experience college life, work, and help my family.” Doh, a member of the LEAD Class of 2023, was born and lived the first eight years of her life in Mae La, a refugee camp in Thailand near the Burma border, along with her parents and four siblings. Her mother never went to school and can’t read or write; her father dropped out of school after the second grade. After leaving the refugee camp, her family was resettled in the United States and sent to Georgia, where they lived for about two months. She and her brother were the only non-white students in school, she as a third grader and he as a fourth grader. Her classmates hid her backpack daily; but she followed her teacher like a duck follows its mother. “I was so scared,” she says, her eyes welling up at the memory. “I didn’t know how to speak a word of English. She was my only comfort besides my brother.” School in the refugee camp was held in a space with a dirt floor, and students returned to their home to eat lunch. The American school was so different; she wished she had had a translator. Friends from the refugee camp helped them move to Hartford, where there were others who spoke their native Karen language. The Karen are an ethnic group from Burma. Volunteers from the Cathedral of St. Joseph provided food, clothing, and other support to help the family get settled. Her father worked at Dunkin Donuts and her mother stayed home to care for the family’s five children (Doh’s youngest sister was born in Georgia). Although classmates at her Hartford elementary school called her
T H E W O M E N ’ S A D VA N C E M E N T I N I T I AT I V E
Chinese, it didn’t bother her because she made friends with other Karen students. “In Hartford, I was still getting judged, but I didn’t feel alone,” she says. Her life improved even more when she began attending Grace Academy, an independent, interfaith, tuition-free middle school for girls from Hartford. She had friends, played sports, and enjoyed school until, when she was 13, a commercial vehicle rear-ended her father’s car and he suffered serious injuries that caused permanent back pain and disability. Not only did the family lose its only source of income; Doh, more fluent in English than her older brother, became the family translator, a role she started in middle school and continues to this day. “When he got into the car accident, everything just fell apart. There was no income. Everyone was so stressed out. He was in so much pain,” Doh says. A month after the accident, her sister was diagnosed with epilepsy and remained in the ICU for a month. A few months later, her mother developed a chronic case of gout, causing her to miss work for weeks at a time. There was a lawsuit against the company that owned the vehicle involved in her father’s accident. Doh had to miss school to translate for her parents with the law office and hospital staff, sometimes only getting three or four hours of sleep in order to keep up with schoolwork. “As a young kid, you would never expect to be in a lawyer’s office. I couldn’t act like it was hard. I had to be like an adult,” says Doh, now 20. “I wasn’t ready for it. I was angry at my parents for putting me in that position. Going through that, it made me so much more mature; at the same time, it’s a terrible memory.” The teachers at Grace Academy supported her even more following her father’s accident, which occurred in the second half of seventh grade. “There’s not a day I forget about them,” Doh says. “Everything I do I trace back to Grace Academy.”
I want that leadership. I know I can be a leader; I just need someone to help push me, to help me become the strong woman I want to be. One teacher, Natalia Piperi, stepped into a maternal role to support her while her parents’ focus turned to her sister. Doh missed a great deal of eighth grade and felt overwhelmed; she began losing interest in school—in even going to school, she says. Another teacher told her about an all-girls high school, Mercy High in Middletown, Connecticut. “I was eager to go to an all-girls school because I wanted to continue that bonding. I loved the sisterhood and how I was treated at Grace Academy,” she says. Others have guided and supported Doh in her journey as well. A woman with whom she volunteers at her church, the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, took her to tour colleges and helped her with her applications. When she sees Doh struggling, she encourages her that life will get better, God is with her and all the challenges she endures make her stronger.
F E AT U R E
/ 7
SPONSORSHIP
Sponsor a LEAD Student Program Gifts to the LEAD program provide unique educational opportunities for undergraduate female students to experience a life-changing professional development and personal enrichment program. For a donation of $2,000, you can sponsor a student’s participation in this transformative program. Your LEAD student sponsorship: • Provides 13 annual interactive leadership training and practical life-skills workshops • Connects your student(s) to a network of peers and mentors who inspire them to pursue opportunities and persevere through challenges • Creates an opportunity for your student(s) to attend professional conferences and a leadership retreat • Helps your student(s) secure transportation to internships and interviews, and participate in community service trips
While attending an event where guests included donors and Grace Academy alumnae, Glandina Morris, assistant director of The Women’s Advancement Initiative, told Doh about the LEAD program at the University of Hartford and invited her to apply. “Going to the University of Hartford, I never thought I’d find myself in a sisterhood,” she says. She made friends in the LEAD program quickly. She met confident, brave, smart young women she looks up to and wants to emulate. “Inside me, I get so scared. I get so nervous you could hear it in my voice. That’s something I know that LEAD could help me with—to get up there, give a speech and have confidence in myself,” Doh says. “I’m still working on it. … I want that leadership. I know I can be a leader; I just need someone to help push me, to help me become the strong woman I want to be.”
She’s internalized the LEAD program’s message to take every opportunity that comes along, to take risks and move forward. Her best friend, who is also in the LEAD program, taught her the term “paralegal” and Doh realized that was what she wanted to become. The paralegal in her parents’ lawyer’s office had been so helpful, kind, and knowledgeable that she wants to do that work, potentially to help immigrants like her family. Many people have supported her and her family through health, financial, and emotional challenges, she says, so she wants to pay it forward. “Even though I’m still going through a hard time, I feel I can share with others who also need it. We were just strangers to them. They came into our lives and gave us so much,” she says, her voice cracking, “I don’t have to know you to help you.”
You can impact a young woman’s life in a meaningful and powerful way. If you are interested in sponsoring a LEAD student, please contact Amy Jaffe Barzach at 860.768.5471 or barzach@hartford.edu.
Above: Doh with her mom, Aye Mu, at her high school graduation. Inset: Doh attending her sister’s first communion.
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD / 2020
8 / SCHOLARSHIP PROFILE
REAG A N JO HNSON ’ 20
The Power to Persevere
Major: Acoustical Engineering and Jazz Studies Robert E. Donovan Scholar
Authentic. Diligent. Creative. Reserved. Focused. Those are the words Reagan Johnson uses to describe herself. As she persevered through personal tragedies, she was also resilient. At the age of 10, she left Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with her family and moved to Dallas, Texas. The 425-mile journey would change the trajectory of her life.
T H E W O M E N ’ S A D VA N C E M E N T I N I T I AT I V E
In middle school, Reagan discovered her love of math. “I remember participating in and winning math competitions,” she comments. “To me, math made sense and it was fun.” Then, at the age of 12, she discovered her second love—music. She picked up a guitar for the first time and learned to play classical guitar and rock. She attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and further developed a love for jazz—the lyrics, the theory, and the history. “When you know where something comes from, and its purpose, you can also find its possibilities,” she says. “I watched many artists play and began to appreciate all genres of music. It inspired me to keep playing and pursue what I love.” Reagan’s love of math and music brought her more than 1,500 miles away from home to the University of Hartford—the only school in the nation with an acoustical engineering degree program where she could also focus on jazz studies. “College life brought new opportunities and experiences,” she recalls. “I was the only Black woman in the entire acoustical engineering program. In other classes with 20 or more students, I could count on one hand the number of female classmates. It was usually three. Engineering is a male-dominated field. I hope someday we as a society can change that.” However, Reagan continued to look at each experience as a new opportunity to learn more and do more. “I learned to be the difference that I wanted to see,” she explains. “I would encourage others to have friends that looked like them and to also have some that didn’t. Try to appreciate that everyone has different views on life and the world. Embrace those differences.” Inset: During the summer of 2019, Reagan played jazz guitar at performances throughout Connecticut, including a special tribute concert to Nat King Cole.
SCHOLARSHIP PROFILE
“ There are many times in life where my music, love of math and engineering, strong faith, and mentorship from others confirm that I am doing the right thing and that I am in the right place. This scholarship was yet another sign to keep moving forward.” As her college journey continued, Reagan quickly said yes to new opportunities. She became a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers while balancing many other obligations—a rigorous academic program to maintain her 3.5 GPA, performing concerts throughout Connecticut with other musical groups, publishing a research paper as an undergraduate student with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronauts, and being heavily involved with the Pratt & Whitney University Mentoring Program. She remained focused and continued to thrive, but nothing could prepare her for the next challenge in her life. In February 2019, Reagan’s father, Derwin, died at the age of 54 from sudden heart failure. Prior to his death, he was going to start a promising new career. “I remember the day I received the news. I felt numb,” she says. “My mom encouraged me to take care of myself and be vocal to let others know how I was feeling. Honestly, I was struggling with my own grief—consciously and unconsciously— but I still had classes to attend and assignments to complete so I wouldn’t lose my scholarship.”
The University’s scholarship paid for her tuition but not her room and board fees. She was committed to finishing her degree but now had a financial burden that was almost too much for her family to bear during that difficult time. The Robert E. Donovan Scholarship offered through The Women’s Advancement Initiative provides support to students like Reagan. The funds are given each year to female students studying engineering who need financial assistance in order to complete their degree program. “I was honored to have been selected to receive the 2019–20 Robert E. Donovan Scholarship,” Reagan exclaims. The scholarship helped make it possible for her to graduate. “There are many times in life where my music, love of math and engineering, strong faith, and mentorship from others confirm that I am doing the right thing and that I am in the right place,” she states. “This scholarship was yet another sign to keep moving forward.” There was no pomp and circumstance for Reagan in May when she graduated because of the global pandemic. Her job at Pratt & Whitney as an investigative engineer in the ME-F135 Customer Support Department is on hold due to a
/ 9
SCHOLARSHIPS
Robert E. Donovan
Created by his widow, Margaret Donovan, the Robert E. Donovan Scholarship Fund honors and celebrates the life of Robert E. Donovan, who believed in the transformative power of education. These scholarships are given each year to female students studying engineering who are on track to complete their degrees, but who need financial assistance in order to continue. Since 2009, more than $90,000 has been awarded to help level the professional playing field for female engineering students.
Dorothy Goodwin
Thanks to a generous bequest from Dorothy Goodwin, The Women’s Advancement Initiative is able to offer Dorothy Goodwin Scholarships annually to students who propose innovative research or creative projects in collaboration with faculty mentors. Dorothy Goodwin was a public servant, educator, philanthropist, and community leader. She grew up in Hartford and became a political leader in 1975 when she was elected to the state legislature, representing Connecticut’s 54th Assembly District. As chair of the House Education Committee, Goodwin helped redesign the state’s school funding formula to give every town a grant commensurate with its need. She served as a longtime trustee of Hartford College for Women and left behind a legacy of inspiring women and girls to live beyond their expectations and work towards their full potential. To date, 84 students have been awarded more than $190,000 in scholarship funds through the Dorothy Goodwin Scholarship Program.
hiring freeze. She has not been able to enjoy a movie at the theaters. But, she has been able to focus on playing guitar, spending time with her family, strengthening her faith, and finally feeling like she has time to breathe. Reagan is taking a gap year for respite and to renew her spirit. In her free time, she also enjoys coding in Python. As she reflects on her young life, college career, and future goals, she tackles each day with a prayer and a plan to never lose her childlike curiosity to learn, to work hard, and to never give up.
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD / 2020
10 / DONOR PROFILE
G I V I N G B AC K LOUISE E. LOOMIS, Ed.D.
Redefining the Art of Thinking
Louise in May 2019 celebrating her 90.5 birthday.
“There is power in critical and creative thinking. Each of us has the power to transform what we know into what we hope to be,” says Louise E. Loomis, Ed.D., founder of the ThinkWell Center, LLC, educational facilitator for Family Life Education, co-founder of Trinity Academy in Hartford, and former assistant professor of Philosophy at Hartford College for Women (HCW). Affectionately known to many as “Dr. Lou,” at 92 years old, Louise personifies a lifetime of learning, teaching, and mentoring others. After graduating The Chapin School in New York City, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry at Bryn Mawr College. “I liked attending an all-women’s college,” she comments.
T H E W O M E N ’ S A D VA N C E M E N T I N I T I AT I V E
In 1950, just a few days after graduating college, Louise married her husband, Worth Loomis. As newlyweds, the couple traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, where Worth pursued a job opportunity. “My time in Istanbul was liberating,” she recalls. “There, as a 22-year-old woman, I was free to discover who I was and what I wanted to be. As I learned about the majesty and magic of Istanbul and its history, I often wondered why I didn’t learn this in school and realized curriculum could be biased.” While abroad, Louise and Worth traveled to Gilgamesh, explored other ancient buildings, and visited friends and family in England and France. “These real-life experiences widened my worldviews and attitude about how the world worked,” Louise comments. “It also challenged me to consider what I might do with my own life. In that short period of time, I had broadened my social experiences and I was motivated to learn more about the issues at hand in my own country.” In 1952, the couple traveled back to America and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. There they became parents of five children. Each new experience shaped her global perspective and increased her desire to be more involved in the community and address important societal issues, such as race and integration. While a stay-at-home mom in 1963, Louise was involved in several projects relating to the Civil Rights Movement. She was the secretary of the Cleveland Chapter of the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity, active in the Social Action Committee of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and helped start an afterschool program in the city. She recalls that during her time on St. Paul’s Action Committee, the committee’s main concern was how to integrate the
white congregation with the Black residents of Cleveland. When the committee’s discussion of who and what would attract the congregation to the church to listen to the Black point of view came up, someone commented that people would come to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Louise told them she had a friend on the committee who was arranging Dr. King’s schedule for his visit to Cleveland next week and she could call her friend and extend an invitation for Dr. King to speak at St. Paul’s. On the afternoon of May 14, 1963, Dr. King and an entourage that included police escorts arrived at the church. Louise had the privilege of shaking his hand and welcoming him. Louise continued on her path of selfdiscovery as an educator. She taught junior high school science in Cleveland, and later taught at Weaver High School in Hartford. “In 1976, I began to see changes in my students,” she says. “I could no longer count on my students to tell me if they didn’t understand something. They seemed to be more and more comfortable with ‘not getting it.’” Inspired by their apathy, Louise made it her goal to teach critical thinking. “Critical thinking is an ordinary, everyday kind of thinking. It is the thinking that people use to decide what to believe and how to behave,” she explains. “My goal was to teach this skill to others—students and professionals.” Louise completed her master’s degree in Urban Education at the University of Hartford while continuing to teach others about critical thinking and creative problem solving. Through her work with Hartford Public Schools, she became the coordinator of its Talented and Gifted Program, and also taught
DONOR PROFILE
Reading and Study Skills at Hillyer College. For more than 15 years, Louise also taught as a professor at HCW. In addition to her Philosophy, Leadership, and Communication courses, she also taught Critical Thinking for the Entrepreneurial Program, courses on improving memory in the Counselling Center’s Bridge Program, and helped enhance HCW’s curriculum. She was also recognized for her creativity inside and outside of the classroom. “I was delighted to have an opportunity to teach at HCW,” says Louise. “It was truly a community of learning and development. Students were encouraged to create their own notes, solicit feedback, and recognize that thinking happens ‘inside the head’ and can occur without a textbook.” “Today’s female students have different challenges in addition to classroom learning,” she remarks. “We’ve made progress but we’re still fighting for other important issues, such as women’s rights and equality for all. That’s why I am proud that The Women’s Advancement Initiative carries on the legacy of Hartford College and encourages students to take a broader worldview and to find their voice. I am inspired to give because I was very fond of HCW and see that it has a future that rests with these young women.” Louise’s enthusiasm for education extended beyond the walls of HCW. She founded the nonprofit organization, the New England Cognitive Center. She continued on to become a consultant in metacognition and learning strategies, and taught at Fairfield University, Capital Community College, Goodwin College, and the then University of Nigeria. Louise’s work in the classroom is one of the many examples of her efforts to make a difference in the community. For several years, she also worked with Family Life Education (FLE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to
Ways to Give GIVE ONLINE Click on “Make a Gift” at hartford.edu/womensadvancement MAIL A GIFT Send a check in the enclosed envelope. SUPPORT THE ANNUAL FUND Unrestricted annual gifts provide essential support for daily operations of The Women’s Advancement Initiative’s programs, including LEAD, Dorothy Goodwin Scholars, and Laura Johnson Leaders. DONATE TO THE LEAD PROGRAM Gifts to the LEAD program provide unique educational opportunities for undergraduate students to experience a life-changing professional development and personal enrichment program. You can make a donation of any size, or for a donation of $2,000 you can sponsor a student’s participation in LEAD for one academic year and receive updates from the student(s) you sponsor. CONSIDER A MAJOR GIFT To discuss major gifts or alternative options—including directing a gift from a donor-advised fund, retirement assets, or real estate—please contact Samantha Goemans at 860.768.2448 or sgoemans@ hartford.edu. MENTOR A STUDENT There is nothing more energizing than making a difference in the lives of young women. Share your career and life experiences with students—in person or on the phone. Enjoy lunch with students. Hire a student as an intern. Or, host a student at your workplace for a few hours or a few days as part of the Express to Success job-shadowing program. To learn more, call 860.768.5961 or email womenadv@ hartford.edu.
/ 11
the equity, education, and empowerment of low-income women, children, and families in the greater Hartford area. In honor of her commitment to Hartford’s children, FLE named their new center, “The Louise Earle Loomis Children’s Wellness Center.” Louise has been the recipient of several community accolades, including the Anchor Award from the University of Hartford, Community Leadership Award from Leadership Greater Hartford, Youth Champion Award from The Children’s Museum, Distinguished Advocate for the Arts Award from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, certificate of appreciation from the City of Hartford for her contributions to the grandparents program “Better the Second Time Around,” and also honored by The Artists Collective, Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Aurora Foundation for Women and Girls. Louise’s days are filled with her special projects, such as her Maps for All Initiative with the World Affairs Council of Connecticut, as well as Teaching Hands on Equations, and curriculum design work for elementary school children at Trinity Academy. Today, as she sits outside her home in Bloomfield, Connecticut, Louise reflects on the brownstone in New York City where she spent her childhood, the thousands of hours she has expended in classrooms encouraging students to redefine the way they think, the community leaders and professionals that she trained in creative problem solving, the many countries that opened her eyes to diverse and unique experiences, the children learning and growing together at the Wellness Center, and the opportunistic spirit of the young women in the LEAD program. We celebrate her brilliant mind, kind heart, and generosity that has made a difference in the lives of so many others.
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD / 2020
12 / DONOR REPORT
JULY 1, 2019 TO JUNE 30, 2020
THE WOMEN’S ADVANCEMENT INITIATIVE
Donor Report
Thanks to the support of donors like you, The Women’s Advancement Initiative is able to make a meaningful difference in the lives of today’s women. We honor and thank you for helping us advance women’s potential in the Hartford College for Women tradition.
$250-$499 Barrett Family Foundation Nancy Kinsley Barrett A’57 (HCW) and Thomas R. Barrett
Fay Kleiman Poles A’36 (HCW)
Joyce Ramos Lemega A’65 (HCW) and John W. Lemega
Hiroko Tsuboi-Friedman A’91 (HCW)
Gail Sparrell Pease A’65 (HCW) and Thomas E. Pease
Martha Vinick
Joan M. Pritchard A’74 (HCW) Dr. Katrina Turner $2,500+
Bobbi McNeil ’94
Miriam B. Butterworth Charitable Remainder Unitrust
Karen and Marc A. Reich
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Kate Farrow Stoddard A’72 (HCW)
Lois Fisher-Dietzel
Susan Rafferty Williams M’78 and Eliot P. Williams
Hinda N. Fisher Irrevocable Trust
Schwab Charitable Fund
Barry N. Lastra
Marie Castagno Pezzlo A’63 (HCW) and Frank Pezzlo
Suzanne Meny Woodward A’66 (HCW) $100-$249 Joanne Rydel Ackman A’64 (HCW) and Robert S. Ackman Kim Y. Barberi A’99, ’02 (HCW) and Charles F. Barberi
Dorothy M. Schwobel A’52 (HCW) W. George Viering Nancy Giuffre Willetts A’57, P’82 and William Willets Esther Scheinblum Yeck A’70 (HCW) Up to $99 Lisa Quinion Abbott A’76 (HCW) and Geoffrey L. Abbott Corinne Ansbro ’18 Lakshmi Ayyanki M’17 Shatha S. N. Barq ’20
Lucille M. Nickerson and Ralph Zegarelli
$500–$999
Joanne E. Beers A’72 (HCW) and Earl C. Cree II
Nancy A. Brennan
Karen Gibbs Orefice A’65 (HCW) and Jerry A. Orefice ’66
Barbara A. Brandt
Joyce C. and Harold C. Buckingham Jr.
Tricia Brunton
Jacqueline Bartell Bassos A’82 (HCW)
Debra A. Palmer M’82
Judy Casperson
Cherie E. Caluda
Melanie Bazer A’89 (HCW)
Karin A. Stahl M’73 and William K. Stahl
Dr. Jane Edwards P’11 and Dr. Humphrey R. Tonkin P’11, Hon. ’99
Dr. Caryn Christensen
Kiana Beach
Barbara A. Close A’93
Meghan D. Becerril ’20
Margaret Curtis Cornely A’72 (HCW)
Claire L. Bergin C’03 (HCW)
Dr. Mary W. Du Quette A’73 (HCW) and Thomas F. Sapien
Dana Eckstein Berkowitz ’13 and Ross Berkowitz
Susan Landers Fenniman A’64 (HCW) and John D. Fenniman
Taylor Beverly ’20
Janet Cassells Sweet A’65 (HCW)
Karen Berner Flowers A’68 (HCW) $1,000-$2,499 Aetna Foundation, Inc.
Beverly P. and Arnold C. Greenberg Hon. ’89
Deanna and Tokunbo Akinbajo
Susan Ellovich Guralnik A’60
Amy Jaffe-Barzach P’21 and Peter I. Barzach P’21
Marcia L. and John W. Hincks
Kelly J. Daly ’14
Dr. Louise Earle Loomis M’78
Margaret Pearl Douglas and Dr. Montgomery B. Douglas ’83
Estela R. Lopez
Perry Daniels Huntington A’71 (HCW) ’73 and Gregory Huntington
Debbie M. Javit A’83 (HCW)
Glandina Morris ’04 and Matthew Lyga Maria T. Orefice ’72 and David Lundberg
Carol G. Fine Christine Phillips Fraser A’68 (HCW) Patricia C. Furnivall Sandra Nowicki Garick A’62 (HCW) and Bruce S. Garick Carol Stern Gendel A’67 (HCW) Antonia Gorman Paul J. Krause ’13
Janice Zaleski Klein A’70 (HCW) and David M. Klein
Christine Balandiuk Palmer A’62 (HCW) and James W. Palmer
Dulcy M. Lecour A’72 (HCW) and Charles Fujita
Dr. Kathleen McGrory
Molly O. and Ryan Polk
Lisa Christensen Petersen A’76 (HCW)
Patricia A. McKinley A’72 (HCW)
T H E W O M E N ’ S A D VA N C E M E N T I N I T I AT I V E
Dr. Jane M. Barstow and Norman B. Barstow M’77
Kaitlin R. Bosetti ’17, M’19 Alice L. Brennan Allison M. Bueche ’20 Inga H. Buhrmann Heather M. Burgess Kathleen A. Caporta ’03 Lynne Catelotti Nadine Cedro Bibi Chaterpateah Autumn A. Collins ’23 Heather J. Corbett and Todd Bamford
DONOR REPORT
Kathleen A. Czarnota C’99 (HCW)
Valerie Fleming Lewis A’62 (HCW), Hon. ’08
Julia J. St. Amand ’21
Sydney K. Lewis ’22
Caya Tull ’21
Ashley M. DeFreitas ’20
Henry Link
Samantha Tyrrell ’23
Theresa J. DeFreitas ’18
Sydney A. Lyncook ’20
Dr. Diane Ullman and Peter Ullman
Asha S. Farquhar ’20
Ronchelle S. Marshall ’21
Tiana Vazquez ’23
Desiree M. and Murphy L. Farquhar P’20
Thyandra A. Martinez ’23
Kathleen and James Walsh P’02
Erica F. Masse ’20
Ashley Haller Fedigan ’06, M’08
Kate Weaver
Susan M. Filupeit A’67 (HCW)
Heather Arnold McDonald M’01 and Mark A. McDonald
Marcy Bufithis Webster ’02 and William A. Webster II
Miriam Katten Fleishman A’53 (HCW) and Norman Fleishman
Susan Stearn Moore M’80 and James H. Moore
Alan M. Weinstein M’91
Hannah L. Francis ’20
Patricia A. Moran M’83, M’87
Frontstream
Christina Morris
Josephine M. Garcia ’20
Michaela A. Mueller ’20
Alice Hubert Gardner A’65 (HCW) and David F. Gardner
Donna S. and William J. Neary III
Justice A. Gaston ’20
Beth Nichols
Joshua S. Gilbert Kaitlin M. Glynn
Karen Van Heusen Norton A’66 (HCW)
Lynn and James Hammer P’19
Katharine A. Owens
Ruth E. Harlow A’67 (HCW)
Jennifer R. Palafox ’20
Michelle Guillet Helmin ’85, M’94 and David A. Helmin ’84
Erin and Benjamin C. Pollard
Dr. Kate D. Hohenthal M’94, D’10, P’20 and Carl A. Hohenthal P’20
Shaily M. Prajapati ’20
Zoe Danon ’87 and Brian Tanenbaum
Abigail M. Pollock ’20
Sara A. Hohenthal A’19
Maria J. Qadri and Thomas G. Barker ’08
Madeline Hunt ’20
Brayden L. Ransom ’20
Rebecca Jackson A’80, C’80 Ryleigh Johns ’20
Patricia L. and Darren A. Ransom P’20
Stephanie S. Kallicharan A’19, ’21
Christine R. Rigodon ’19
Breanna F. Karabeinikoff ’19
Kylie N. Roosa ’20
Dr. Alexandra Wojcechowsky Karriker A’63 (HCW) and Robert J. Karriker
Angeline Rosado-Rivera ’20
Hailey P. Kessler ’20 Randi B. and Bruce I. Kessler P’20 Denise Amidon Jacobson A’71 (HCW) and Walter Jacobson Jr. Lisa Langsner Anna and Wing C. Lau P’16
Netanya N. Nhatavong ’20
Sarah M. Rosenfeld ’23 Max B. Sage-Robison ’19
/ 13
Margaret Tarampi
Stacie A. Wentz Mary Birtles White A’64 (HCW) and William R. White
THAN K
YOU Every attempt has been made to record and honor gifts from our donors accurately. If you note any errors, please accept our most sincere apology and contact us at womenadv@hartford.edu or call 860.768.5961 so that we can correct our records.
Rachel T. Savenelli A’19, ’20 Jordan R. Sharp ’20 Diane M. P. and Samuel N. Skinner M’85 Kaitlin S. Small ’20 Sharon W. and Robert H. Smith Jr.
Donations can be directed to the HCW Legacy Fund, which supports The Women’s Advancement Initiative’s programs for today’s women and HCW reunions and events; the Miriam and Oliver Butterworth & Family LEAD Program Endowed Fund; the Annual Fund; or LEAD.
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD / 2020
14 / IMPACT
Scholars and Faculty Uplift Our Community Concerts that Connect and Inspire Hope
Deanna Casey ’20 (right), a Dorothy Goodwin Scholar, shared her passion for blues and the musical talents of her family to encourage others throughout the world. The KC Sisters host free one-hour public performances once a month using an app called NEXT music. Hundreds of people from around the world tune in as they go live and perform songs and new arrangements using a combination of solos, a cappella songs, five-part harmonies, and a variety of instruments (bass, guitar, drums, violin, and ukulele). This interactive platform helps them uplift others as they end each show with their unique arrangement of the song “Humble and Kind.” The KC Sisters are also performing outdoors, live streaming other performances from their living room for different venues, and releasing videos online.
The Giving Tree
Quimby Wechter ’20, a Dorothy Goodwin Scholar and recipient of the Belle K. Ribicoff Prize for Academic Excellence, made masks for the Giving Tree in her hometown of Halifax, Massachusetts. The tree is a shared community space where residents can find free masks and other household items. Quimby also collected eggs from her chickens, baked cookies, and picked fresh flowers to give to her neighbors and friends. She completed her bachelor’s degree (health science/pre-physical therapy) in three years and used her scholarship for groundbreaking research into therapies and treatments for children with cerebral palsy. She is now a clinical research assistant in the neurology department at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Donating PPE and Fundraising for Neighbors in Need
Dr. Yingcui Li, Faculty Fellow, Laura Johnson Leader, and associate professor of biology, organized and led her Chinese community in Farmington, Connecticut, to donate personal protective equipment (PPE). They successfully donated over 3,000 masks (N95, KN95, and surgical), gloves, shoe covers, and more than 500 homemade face shields and masks to local hospitals and first responders. In addition, they raised $2,300 to help their neighbors in need, including senior citizens and nursing home residents. Over 40 families in Farmington and neighboring towns donated in March and April.
T H E W O M E N ’ S A D VA N C E M E N T I N I T I AT I V E
The Women’s Advancement Initiative enhances the education of women and honors the legacy of Hartford College for Women. Each year, we provide life skills programming, professional development sessions, and mentors who encourage women to say yes to opportunities and persevere through challenges. In a year like no other, we continue to build community and strengthen each other.
100+
250+
126
100%
LEAD students each year are provided with tools and training to navigate their college journey through leadership education, career connections and resources, and resilience and opportunity coaching.
Laura Johnson Leaders have participated in this dynamic leadership program for female faculty and staff focused on building community and professional development.
student volunteer hours spent supporting regional and national community agencies (including Connecticut Children’s Hospital, Chrysalis Center, Inc., Hammonasset Beach Clean Up, Give Kids The World Village, and the YWCA).
of the 2016–2020 LEAD cohorts have donated to support programming for future LEAD students.
ANNUAL REWIND / 15
2 02 0
Events LEAD students donated canned goods, personal hygiene products, and other household items to Chrysalis Center, Inc. The Center provides counseling and support services to veterans, homeless individuals, and families in transition. Brayden Ransom ’20 (left) is pictured with Women’s Advancement staff members Sara Cerruto and Dina Morris.
In December 2019, students in the LEAD Class of 2023 attended our annual President’s Reception. The event served as a platform to celebrate first-year students and engage in networking activities.
Noelia Powell ’22 and the LEAD Class of 2022 met with nine business and community professionals for mock job interviews.
LEAD students spent their winter break on a service trip to Give Kids The World Village in Orlando, Florida. The Village provides free vacations to families of children with life-threatening illnesses. The students are pictured with Pamela Landwirth, president and CEO of the Village. Seniors in the LEAD Class of 2020 joined UHart President Gregory Woodward, Board Chair Pearl Douglas, and Women’s Advancement staff at the annual President’s House Reception.
Virtually Together From left: Debra Yanchak Merenda A’74 (HCW), ’76 and Liz Keenan reunited with other HCW alumnae and friends at a special reception before watching The Hartt School’s performance of the musical Chess.
Asha Farquhar ’20 helped other LEAD volunteers to clean up Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Connecticut.
Happy Hour
When the HCW Class of 1970 had to postpone its 50th reunion due to the pandemic, the Reunion Planning Committee (Shirley Zelinka Baucom, Rebecca Friedman Danchak, Jan Zaleski Klein, Linda Kautz Macy, and Cynthia Gilpin Winters) initiated virtual happy hours. Four were held in 2020 and more than 20 alumnae from throughout the country have participated. The HCW Class of 1971 will hold its 50th reunion in fall 2021. If you would like to be part of the Reunion Planning Committee, please contact Amy Jaffe Barzach at 860.768.5471 or email barzach@ hartford.edu.
Please note that some photos were captured prior to the pandemic and do not reflect current requirements for social distancing and face coverings.
25
20
LEAD sessions and special events were conducted virtually starting in March 2020. Topics included selfcare, building resiliency, career connections, stress management, senior fiveyear development plans, and encouraging the heart.
fun virtual events were hosted by students and friends. Events included yoga, paint night, fitness classes, cooking demonstrations, and live concerts.
25
students from the LEAD Class of 2020 were mailed a graduation box with their LEAD honor cords, certificates of completion, cohort photo, special messages, and a “decorate your graduation cupcake in a mug” kit.
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD / 2020
16 / HCW ALUMNA PROFILE
KI M B A RBERI ’ 99, ’ 02 (H CW)
Beyond Her Comfort Zone While attending Hartford College for Women’s (HCW) 85th anniversary celebration in the summer of 2019, Kim Barberi ’99, ’02 (HCW) spotted an open path that would allow her to walk across the room to meet Miriam “Mims” Butterworth, the former acting president of HCW. Kim wanted to thank Butterworth, but her shyness held her back. “She’s one of the reasons you’re here,” she told herself. “How could you not go over and thank her for all the contributions she and her family made to make this possible?” Kim listened to that inner voice, took those steps, and talked with Butterworth, who asked her about herself. “I could not believe how interested she was in hearing my story. She never took her eyes off me. That is the entire feeling of HCW,” she says. The Windsor, Connecticut, resident began attending HCW at the age of 30, after starting a new role within the Department of Education, where she had been employed since the age of 19. Although Kim had been a member of the National Honor Society at Hartford’s Weaver High, it was her shyness that held her back from attending college. Her single mother worked as a machinist, and she didn’t have anyone in her family who had attended college. She did not take the traditional route to college, but her mother fully supported the alternate path she chose. Immediately after graduating high school in 1983, while working at a downtown Hartford department store, Kim attended the nearby Morse School of Business for a year. A nine-month
T H E W O M E N ’ S A D VA N C E M E N T I N I T I AT I V E
temporary position with the State of Connecticut became permanent and she worked her way up to executive secretary to the deputy commissioner. A promotion landed her in the Bureau of Human Resources of the State Department of Education, including a three-year management training program. “All of a sudden, I felt the need to go to college,” Kim says. She learned about HCW’s Bridge Program for adult learners and enrolled part time. “I had no idea what I was getting into and I was terrified. My trepidation was shortlived, however, as there were so many women like me who were embarking on a similar journey.” Early on, while working on a research paper for an English Composition class, she struggled with the structure. Professor Jeanne Bonaca, “sat with me three or four times, and I wasn’t getting the idea of connecting things back to a thesis,” she says. “Then a light went on.” Kim learned how to write a research paper, a skill she used through college and her professional life. It took eight years, but she earned her associate degree in arts and bachelor’s degree in legal studies. The instructors, including Professors Sharon Pope, Jane Barstow, Allan Johnson, and Bonaca, were so sincere and patient in their instruction, “that even when I was struggling, it didn’t deter me from coming back,” she says. “I learned so much from them that I still apply today.” A group of students in her Women Writers course gathered at Professor Barstow’s home to “have rich discussions about literature by women.” One
message instilled in her and her classmates was that women have a voice and they can use it. “I think that’s where I first discovered, you can be anything.” Kim says. “It must be ingrained early on to understand that you don’t need permission to have agency. You need to arm yourself with knowledge and kindness and know how to advocate for yourself, even if there is no one else to do it on your behalf.” Today, Kim serves as the human resources business partner in the Connecticut State Department of Education, supporting the agency’s staff and administration in a variety of human resources functions. She enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and Toastmasters. She and her husband are “parents” to their two Pekinese rescue dogs, Sissy and Sassy. After becoming the Connecticut chapter president of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources, Kim told herself she wouldn’t go any further, but when the chance to serve on the Eastern Region Board arose, she applied a lesson learned at HCW, telling herself, “If you want to pursue it, just do it.” She recently completed a six-week women’s leadership training through Yale School of Management. Says Kim, “Anything with women’s leadership gets my attention because of my foundation with HCW.” She sees her HCW legacy continuing with The Women’s Advancement Initiative’s LEAD program. Inset: Kim Barberi with Miriam “Mims” Butterworth at the HCW 85th celebration.
200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117
Nonprofit Org U.S. Postage PAID University of Hartford
SUPPORTING, CHALLENGING, AND EMPOWERING EACH OTHER COVER PHOTOS. Front: Doh Paw ’23 photographed by Jonathan Olson. Back: HCW group photo from the 1978 Highlander yearbook.