Gina Calialotz and family

Gina Calialotz wrote in to share this photo of her son Tristan and her husband Andy, taken last Christmas. Tristan is 17 months old in this picture.

Women on top = a global phenomenon?

EDUCATED, successful, high-earning and confident, they are the 'Alpha' women - power women who excel in doing a man's traditional job - and who still have time to make themselves look good. You might wonder, between all the number-crunching, not to mention gym crunches, where do the men fit in? The answer may surprise some: Wimps need not apply. Unlike some counterparts who go for compliant 'yes' men, Alpha gals want guys with gumption - and are getting them.

What type of Alpha woman are you? Who's your ideal partner? For the main story, check out this Singapore Straits Times article.

Mini-Reunion on April 15th in NYC?

Hello Ladies! I am thrilled about our new class Blog, and I can't wait to hear the scoop on how everyone's been doing since 1999! As the current class Treasurer I'm especially interested in ideas about how we can raise some income for our 10 year reunion, and any and all help with brainstorming, execution, and various and sundry planning would be greatly appreciated.
As for myself I've been living in NYC graduation, I've held a couple of jobs (most recently as an AVP in Family Wealth Management), and as of Friday I am once again among the unemployed and planning a move back to Boston (my land of origin) for the fall. As such, the summer will be spent playing in the city and job hunting, and any and all Class of 99ers should drop me a line - I'd love to meet with y'all in person and catch up over coffee or tea. :)
Anywho, that's my 2 cents, throw in yours! I just have one last thing to add which is the fact that I would love to try to get together a mini-reunion on April 15th at my place in NYC (near Lincoln center, time TBD), for any/all Class of 99ers who are in the area and are interested in getting together to catch up and brainstorm for Reunion. Drop me a line if you can make it (or would like to make it another time), and feel free to email me for directions. I look forward to seeing many of you soon!

What do Smithies think of Asia?

Hey ladies! As your friendly international correspondent, I thought I'd start out with an Asian multiple choice icebreaker of sorts...

Introducing our first POLL!
Extra credit if you let us know why (or where else). Vote away!

Which city in Asia would you choose to live and work in?

Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaBangkok, ThailandNew Delhi, IndiaSeoul, KoreaIslamabad, PakistanTokyo, JapanSingaporeShanghai, ChinaJakarta, IndonesiaHong KongMy dream city ain't here!

To select multiple entries hold the Ctrl key (or the Apple key)

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Congrats Giovanna Fessenden!

Congratulations to Giovanna Fessenden and her husband Chris Hennessey!
Baby Isabella Hennessey was born on April 4, 2006 at 6am.

Mei Chee's Wedding

Mei Chee sent us this beautiful photo from her wedding, which took place in Boston last year. Here are the names of the Smithies in the wedding photo (from L to R): Hallie Cowan (adjunct chaplain), Sabrina Rahim ('99), Ruth Gyuse ('99), Mei Chee ('99) and Francis Woo, her husband, Debbie Tay ('98), Hibiki Kawamata ('99), Hyo Jin Kim ('99J).

We've got a photo account set up on Flickr now to share photos... so send in your pics! Any contributions can be sent to Jessie, the webmistress: jmrd@smith.alumnae.net.

Welcome to New Contributors

Welcome and a big thank you to Hillary (Thomas) Shaw and Mei Chee for becoming new contributors to the site. Hillary is currently living in Annapolis, starting a new business and serving a vital role as a class fund officer. Mei Chee recently, last week, relocated to back to Southeast Asia (Singapore) from New York City after getting married last year. She will be our first blogging contributor living overseas.

Thanks ladies for joining the site and I look forward to hearing from both of you!
Tiffany

Smith In the News

Don't favor boys over girls - USA Today
As girls begin to dominate applicant pools at many colleges and universities some schools are attempting to compensate by rejecting highly qualified girls in the name of a gender ratio, according to this opinion piece. "To a young woman who has grown up in the wake of the feminist movement, this new trend in college admissions policies smacks of injustice," writes the author, Rachel Bolten, the daughter of a "proud graduate of Smith College."

Honoring Faculty and Alums - Daily Hampshire Gazette
On Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in Sweeney Hall, faculty members Giovanna Bellesia, H. Robert Burger, Glenn Ellis and Marguerite Harrison will receive Kathleen Compton Sherrerd and John J.F. Sherrerd prizes for distinguished teaching.

Odd Couples: Chuck Berry & Sylvia Plath - The Independent UK
Writer contends that archetypal rock'n'roller Chuck Berry had a relationship with poet Sylvia Plath at Smith College in 1955, when he and his band played at a summer "homecoming ball". Berry was then 29 and Plath, 22, was a senior who arranged to meet Berry backstage.

Western Mass Students help in New Orleans - The Republican
Smith senior Christina H. Arrison volunteered with about 30 other Smith students under the auspices of United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Women, teens to be focus of Hadassah Meeting - The Republican
Smith Associate Professor of Theater Ellen Kaplan, one of the presenters at a workshop for girls on Jewish culture, will use mime, poetry, music and free writing to delve into the powerful stories of women in the Bible.

Smith's Oscar-Winning Black Mark Hartford Courant
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the film debut of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Edward Albee's play, about humiliation, illusion, hypocrisy and lost dreams. The Smith buildings used as backdrops for the Warner Bros. movie are still there, but attitudes toward profanity, sex and marriage have loosened considerably.

Piece to depict Irishmen's trial - The Republican
Smith government students will be playing most of the parts in "A Trial By Their Country," a performance piece commemorating the 1806 trial and execution of Dominic Daley and James Halligan for the murder of Marcus Lyon. Smith Associate Professor of Government Alice Hearst said, "It's important for them to see how the law fits into a whole story."

Thanks and New Contributors...

Thanks to all the wonderful women who have written me with such great sentiments about the new blog. I am so happy that so many of you like the format and are interested in reconnecting with your class.

A few notes... An alum in China (Sebrina Somers) wrote to say hello and that she (and all others in China) are blocked from viewing anything on blogspot by the Chinese government. We are working to find a good solution to keep these women in the loop. If you know of anyone else who's having trouble viewing the site please pass their name on so we can include them our current solution of a digest email. A big thanks to Jessie for making our blog unique and beautiful! I hope you all like the new design as much as I do. Also, a super huge thank you to the women who wrote asking how they can volunteer (Erin Casler, Kate Cissel & Erika Pont) for the class. We have some plans in the works for mini class meetings in various cities. Please keep checking back for more information as those will be coming soon to a community near you.

Lastly, I want to welcome our first two class contributors to the blog, Audrey Tang and Kate (Gardner) Cissell. I know we are all looking forward to hearing from you. If you want to write for the class blog please send Jessie (jmrd@smith.alumnae.net) an email and she will get you set up.

Cheers!
Tiffany