women of wesleyan

On March 8, Women @ Wesleyan, in collaboration with the Women of Color Program House, hosted a photo campaign to celebrate International Women’s Day. Dozens of Wesleyan students and staff posed with #PressforProgress signs to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. The event was spearheaded by Krystal-Gayle O’Neill, area coordinator for residential life. Photos of the campaign are below: (more…)

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Since publishing her latest book, The Argonauts, winner of the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism, author Maggie Nelson ’94 has received attention from more mainstream outlets and audiences. As her popularity grows beyond academic circles, her earlier works, including The Red Parts and Bluets, are gaining in visibility. A recent article from The Telegraph discusses Nelson’s books of nonfiction published between 2005 and 2015, and draws connections between them, focusing on the similarities in content and form that tie these works together: More than anything, Nelson’s project [is]: to behave as though the land of…

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Vashti DuBois ’83 is the founder and executive director of the Colored Girls Museum, a memoir museum honoring the stories and histories of black women. Located in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, Dubois created the space in September 2015 to rectify the continual neglect of black women’s experiences and labor. Featuring artifacts pertaining to the herstory of Colored Girls, the museum respects these objects as containing both personal and historical significance. It acts as an exhibition space as well as a place to research, gather and heal. As reported in the Chestnut Hill Local, Dubois first visualized…

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Anthropologist Shalini Shankar ’94 has been named one of 173 recipients of the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for 2017. Winners of the annual competition were chosen from a pool of 3,000 applicants that includes scholars, artists and scientists who are advanced professionals in their respective fields. She was chosen on the basis of prior achievement as a productive scholar who has published several works on teen and youth culture, as well as her exceptional promise to continue research in the social sciences. Shankar, who studied anthropology in Wesleyan and received her PhD in the field from New York University, is…

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Elizabeth “Beezer” Clarkson ’94, managing director for Sapphire Ventures, was recently profiled in Forbes magazine. A 2014 "Forty Over 40 Women to Watch" honoree and one of 2016's "Top 30 Women Rising Stars in Institutional Investing," Clarkson is highly regarded in the tech and venture communities. The Forbes article, Want To Be Appreciated, Give Someone A Shot by Whitney Johnson, details both Clarkson's background and her commitment "to magnify opportunities for other women,"—or "give them a shot," in the vernacular of the Broadway hit, Hamilton. Clarkson found her first post-college position—a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley—through what is now Wesleyan's Gordon…

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Jess Eliot Myhre '05 is a professional touring musician with the band Bumper Jacksons. Their newest album, "I've Never Met a Stranger," will be broadcast nationally on NPR's Mountain Stage on May 5. The live performance will air on more than 200 NPR stations around the country, and the band will perform five original songs from the record. The group originally began as a duo—Jess Myhre (clarinet, vocals, washboard) and Chris Ousley (acoustic and electric guitar, vocals, banjo)—crafting a sound inspired by the jazz clubs of New Orleans and southern Appalachian folk music festivals. (more…)

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Film and TV producer Sydney Lowe ’13 is the founder of Art Girl Army (AGA), an organization that generates networking opportunities and fosters community among young women with creative careers. The collective originally started in Lowe's small New York City apartment as a space for her and her friends to collaborate, provide support to one another and share their experiences as women working in creative fields, which largely lack gender, sexual and racial diversity. Since 2014 it has developed into an online global community of nearly 3,500 artists, including illustrators, comedians, dancers and more. Lowe enjoyed ample opportunities to connect and collaborate with her…

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On April 11, join several Wesleyan alumnae as they share insights and discuss strategies as women in today’s workplace – from the boardroom to the operating room. "Female Frontiers - Pushing Boundaries in the Workplace" is an opportunity for students to connect with alumnae in the career context to forge professional relationships and get tips for career success. All students, staff, faculty and alumni are welcome. The event is sponsored by Women of Wesleyan, a year-long programming initiative that features women, their accomplishments, and their influence on the Wesleyan community and the world at large. "Female Frontiers" begins with a featured talk…

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Wesleyan celebrated the women of Wesleyan at “Women in STEM Day” Oct. 11 and at “Campus Transformation Through Co-Education” Oct. 12. During “Women in STEM Day” female students considering careers in science, technology, engineering and math had the opportunity to network and participate in seminars with alumni and faculty. The event's keynote speaker (and self-described geek ) was Noirin Plunkett. During the "Campus Transformation" event, Shelia Tobias led a daylong event including a panel discussion with female change agents from the 1970s and discussions with alumni and faculty about campus culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Learn more about…

Campus Celebrates International Women’s Day with Photo Campaign

Author Nelson ’94 Continues to Receive Critical Acclaim

DuBois ’83 Directs Museum Honoring Girls of Color

Shankar ’94 Named 2017 Guggenheim Fellow

Clarkson ’94, of Sapphire Ventures, Featured in ‘Forbes’

Music by Myhre ’05 To Be Broadcast on NPR’s Mountain Stage in May

Lowe ’13 Grows Art Girl Army Organization

Women of Wesleyan Hold Conference to Push Workplace Boundaries

“Pushing Boundaries in the Workplace” Topic of April 11 Women of Wesleyan Event

“Women of Color at Wesleyan” Topic of Greene Symposium

Women of Wesleyan Celebrated at Seminars, Keynotes, Networking Events