reunion

For those of you who couldn't be there, someone was kind enough to post a video of the Ivy Day Parade to YouTube. We start appearing around 1:45 into the video.

Here are a few photos from the College's professional photographer. Enjoy!

http://www.smith.edu/video/ivyday2011alum.php

Smith College Ivy Day Convocation Ceremony 2011

Cathy Yum class of 1986

25th Reunion Speaker

Good morning President Christ, honored professors, alumnae, parents, friends and distinguished guests AND the 25th reunion class of 1986... Please join me in congratulating the Class of 2011! And don’t be shy -- I want them to hear us in Wellesley!

Class of 2011, thinking about your journey to Smith and now your journey beyond the Grecourt Gates, have you ever wondered to yourself...and

After years of debate with other Smithies, I’ve concluded it’s more of the latter. After all, YOU FOUND SMITH. You made the bold decision to pursue your education in a unique, rigorous, liberal arts setting.

And you made it!!! YOU are graduating from SMITH. It is an accomplishment. You have laid an amazing foundation for your journey ahead. And in 24 hours you will join this powerful sisterhood of SMITHIES. A bond that spans time and continents.

I was reminiscing about my own commencement weekend recently. It went something like this: I was out having way too much fun and was conspicuously missing at the early morning Last Chapel convocation ceremony. “Oops.” I half- heartedly dressed in white for Ivy Day because my wardrobe at the time consisted of nothing but black outfits, you see. But as the earliest classes started to go by, I cried. And I have returned to every reunion to renew this bond and I still cry at every parade.

This morning, I was crying for a different reason. More in shock and horror after having realized last night that we (class of 1986) were the oldest class leading the parade!!!

Thus began my journey beyond the Grecourt Gates. Along the way, I have been telling stories about Smith. About how this amazing liberal arts education gave me the confidence to defy limits and boundaries. Not only intellectual and cultural boundaries, but also boundaries imposed by gender.

As you, too, will experience, I had many Smithie moments in life when my Smith experience encouraged me to make bold and audacious decisions that did defy limits. Like the moment I looked across at the Marketing Director sitting across from me and said to myself... “You know, I think I could do his job.” Thus making a career change from advertising and design to technology marketing. Deciding at mid-career to pursue an MBA at MIT’s Sloan School. And relentlessly pursuing a dream to be part of the action in Asia, were also characteristically Smithie moments.

I’ll close with a story I shared last November in Singapore during President Christ’s tour of Asia.

Imagine a typical ice breaker at a corporate team meeting. You go around the room, and each person shares something that the others don’t know about them. And this “something” is usually funny or scandalous. When it comes to my turn, I have a little fun...I lean forward and say: “I was an art major!” Then I have to pause for the comments that typically follow.

But, I get the chance to explain how only one-third of my classes had to be in my major, and that my classes ranged from Intensive French, Japanese Haiku Poetry, film studies, the existential philosophers, literature about love, to political science. After all of that, I no longer saw the world with boundaries and limits. Instead I saw connections and possibilities.

Majoring in Art gave me the gift of being able to approach problems from many angles. My Friedman room mates stopped figuratively sending out a search party when they got used to me spending entire nights in the darkroom printing the same negative 50 different ways. This discipline born of passion was another unexpected gift that I discovered after I left Smith.

In your journey ahead, the Smith experience will rise to the surface again and again - - and have an impact in subtle and powerful ways. The bold and courageous attitude that brought each of you to Smith is why Smith College has a reputation for producing strong, powerful and amazing women - just like the class of 2011.

Congratulations!

I join you in celebrating that YOU FOUND SMITH.

The latest Smith '86 schedule is out! See you soon!

Last Updated: May 10, 2011, 9:10 am EDT

A campus tour was added for Friday from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

The campus tour on Saturday was changed to 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Smith College ‘86
“It’s a Celebration!”

25th Reunion Schedule

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