Meet our community. See yourself here.
As one student says, 鈥淚t feels like a sample population of the world, like little pieces of cities around the globe have migrated onto campus.鈥
Our community is also surprisingly like-minded 鈥 in the best of ways. We are inquisitive, inclusive and encouraging. Reflective. Expressive. Approachable. We make change.
Meet some of us who call the Mount Holyoke community home. MoHome.
Shanthini Ragoonaden 鈥24
Mauritius
鈥淚 remember my first semester, I told my first-year advisor, [Assistant] Professor Marie Ozanne, 鈥業 want to do something that I haven't done before.鈥欌
Adji Diouf 鈥24
Arlington, VA
鈥淚 definitely feel like I鈥檝e really built such a great community here. Besides my lab and my team, I have made so many friends from different classes and different events. I feel like my community is so large here.鈥
Siggy Ehrlich 鈥26
Columbia, MD
My favorite part of the preparation process was creating labels for the small, 17-object exhibition featuring Paradis, other blind musicians and accessibility for the blind.
Sabrina Farrar 鈥24
Ramsey, NJ
鈥淢y politics professors were huge points of support for me and helped me determine what I wanted to do in the space policy field. Being able to present my work to people working in the industry as an underclassman was awesome.鈥
Steph Maldonado
Los Angeles, California
鈥淩esidence life has been a big part of creating a home for students and showing them that this is their home away from home.鈥
Lupe Antonio Lopez
Los Angeles, California
鈥淚 did an overnight stay with some current students. Everyone was so welcoming. That鈥檚 part of the reason I ended up applying to Mount Holyoke.鈥
Aim茅e Eubanks Davis 鈥95
鈥淲hen I came to Mount Holyoke College, I felt at peace.鈥
Sami Parazin
Westwood, Massachusetts
鈥淚 really fell in love with the idea of a [women鈥檚 college that鈥檚 gender diverse] as a safe place. I really liked that there was a place where I didn鈥檛 necessarily have to compete with the male population to be heard.鈥
Azuna Sawada
Tokyo, Japan
鈥淚 feel like I have sisters all over the place. There are strong connections at 果冻传媒. 鈥 I was impressed with how helpful people are here.鈥
Tara Roberts 鈥91
鈥淢ount Holyoke was the place where I was really validated as a leader and as someone who had something to contribute.鈥
Lucy Anderson
Andover, Minnesota
鈥淚鈥檓 getting a good education from Mount Holyoke that鈥檚 preparing me academically for whatever I do in the future.鈥
Alyxander Burns 鈥17
Lecturer in Computer Science
"I love the environment of small liberal arts colleges and the opportunity to get to know students.鈥
Mei Fujimori-Henderson
Bremerton, Washington
鈥淢ount Holyoke taught me a lot about how important it is to listen to and work with others.鈥
Wil Abam-DePass
Brooklyn, NY
鈥淚 chose Mount Holyoke because of the community.鈥
Iyana Alleyne
Bridgetown, Barbados
鈥淢ount Holyoke checked all the boxes for me.鈥
Sophia Smith
Marblehead, Massachusetts
鈥淚 chose Mount Holyoke because it is a liberal arts education where I don't have to sacrifice one [passion] in order to pursue the other.鈥
Michaela Flanders
South Berwick, Maine
鈥淸Mount Holyoke professors] create an environment in which students want to succeed, and they are wonderful role models of who I aspire to be as a professional.鈥
Chisato Kimura
Lawrence, Kansas
鈥淸Mount Holyoke has] pushed me to demand justice for others, and they鈥檝e shown me what true advocacy for other communities looks like.鈥
Aiesha Thomas
Bronx, New York
鈥淢ount Holyoke truly made me feel like I was part of the community.鈥
Charu Sharma 鈥14
India
鈥淢ount Holyoke really nurtures you to appreciate your uniqueness.鈥
Kelechi Ezeugwu
Rural Massachusetts
鈥淭here's acceptance on so many levels here.鈥
Elena Frogameni
Florence, Massachusetts
鈥淭he Rhodes Scholarship feels like a continuation of my time at 果冻传媒. I have the support of the Mount Holyoke community, a community that knew me and valued me as a scholar and a person.鈥
Lucas Wilson
Professor of Africana Studies and Economics
鈥淢y principal goal is to learn who it is I'm teaching and figure out what they care about, what interests them, and how I can be supportive of them to follow that passion.鈥
Mara Kleinberg
Brooklyn, New York
鈥淢ount Holyoke is a really special place. I鈥檝e been able to find true community here through Mount Holyoke jazz vocals, radio and even by working with a local theater company.鈥
Amy Shiying Wang
Beijing, China
鈥淚 chose Mount Holyoke because I heard about this magical place and how nice the people and professors are.鈥
Marta Sabariego
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Behavior
鈥淚 try to empower my students to know that if they work hard, they can achieve their goals. I try to translate my passion for what I do to them and motivate them to follow their dreams.鈥
Paige Osborne
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
鈥淚 had a lot of ideas but I didn鈥檛 know how to make space for them. I do here. I have become a more genuine version of myself.鈥
Kylie Gellatly
Cornwall, CT
鈥淢ount Holyoke offers full scholarships, and are proud to have a nontraditional student population.鈥
Olivia Aguilar
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
鈥淓nvironmental and science learning communities can be very exclusive. How they can be more inclusive of groups that are traditionally marginalized?鈥
Alice Capson 鈥71
Kansas City Metro, Kansas
鈥淚 feel I鈥檓 part of the legacy of making sure 鈥楳ount Holyoke forever shall be鈥 by strengthening our alum bonds and publicizing the College.鈥
Shayn Keiter-Massefski
Sharon, Massachusetts
鈥淚 love how easy it has been for me to make connections and form relationships. I am grateful for those connections, both as friendships and mentorships.鈥
Sommer Byers
Marblehead, Massachusetts
鈥淓veryone here inspires me to push beyond what I thought possible, question assumptions, envision a better world. My peers are formidable and inspiring.鈥
Allie Brown
Burlington, Vermont
鈥淎t 果冻传媒, people really want to see you succeed, just like you want to see them succeed.鈥
Sarah Stefana Smith
Assistant Professor of Gender Studies
鈥淢ount Holyoke is at the forefront of rethinking a women鈥檚 college by including trans students. Historical moments are where amazing coalitions emerge.鈥
Tarana Bhatia 鈥15
Washington, D.C.
鈥淚 entered very shy but was taught to think critically and gained confidence. Every action I take is because the College shaped me.鈥
Yun-Hsuan 鈥淢elody鈥 Su
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to my professors who encouraged me and sparked my passion for robotics. I love to be in that role now, inspiring students.鈥
Muyun (Charlotte) Wang
Yichang, China
鈥淭his is the place where I can really let my voice be heard by other people, where I can figure out my potential as a woman, and as a woman of color.鈥
Luisa Linares
Miami, Florida
鈥淒uring COVID I felt very lost, like, what do I do now. There was no sense of familiarity. Going back to a CBL program helped me think back to a time where things weren鈥檛 as crazy.鈥
Sal Cosmedy
Rye Brook, New York
鈥淚 want prospective students to say, 鈥榃hen I come to Mount Holyoke, I can make a difference on campus. There are avenues and funding to get involved.鈥欌
Alexya Lee
North Chelmsford, Massachusetts
鈥淚 originally wanted to major in environmental studies but I took a geology course first.鈥
Kuzivakwashe Madungwe
Harare, Zimbabwe
鈥淧laying squash challenged me to push myself beyond what I thought I could achieve as an athlete. The whole student-athlete experience has been amazing.鈥
Anh Hoang-Lindsay 鈥06
Boston, Massachusetts
鈥淢y volunteering for the College is very personal. It opened up many opportunities for me.鈥
Benjamin Gebre-Medhin
Assistant Professor of Sociology
鈥淢ount Holyoke is one of the places that represents most faithfully and excitingly the liberal arts ethos.鈥
Skylar Hou
Beijing, China
鈥淭o me, Mount Holyoke has always been more than just a place, it鈥檚 about the people here and the memories we create together.鈥
Shanze Hasan
Karachi, Pakistan
鈥淚 can confirm that the thing Mount Holyoke students look forward to most on the weekdays 鈥 after a never-ending day of classes, work and commitments 鈥 is M&Cs (milk and cookies).鈥
David Hern谩ndez
Associate Professor of Latina/o Studies
鈥淚've thoroughly enjoyed teaching these students. It's really just a tremendous experience.鈥
Hannah Pozzebon
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
鈥淓very internship I鈥檝e ever gotten has been through the alum network. If students asked me for advice, I would say to really use that. It has worked for me 100% of the time.鈥
Cory Mahlstedt
Tolland, Connecticut
鈥淪ince I started school here, I鈥檝e befriended people from all walks of life, with various interests, talents and passions. People who hold fascinating, diverse narratives to listen to and learn from. Athletes, hippies, artists, political activists, poets, musicians and any other label you may identify as is represented here 鈥 there truly isn鈥檛 one archetype.鈥
Neorgia Grant
Kingston, Jamaica
鈥淢ount Holyoke has helped me understand my self-worth. I鈥檓 becoming the student, the woman I鈥檝e always envisioned myself to be.鈥
Sara Sarmiento
Miami, Florida
鈥淚鈥檇 been doing community service, but everything I cared about socially centered on politics. That鈥檚 when I thought I would study international relations.鈥
K. J. Lewis
Pleasantville, New York
鈥淲hen I mentioned studying in Japan to my Japanese professor, Professor of Asian Studies Naoko Nemoto, she gave me a list of potential summer programs.鈥
Michelle Serrano (right)
Los Angeles, California
鈥淢ount Holyoke empowers women to be fearless and gives them the tools necessary to achieve their goals in or out of the classroom. The professors are beyond phenomenal and truly care about the success of students.鈥
Morgan Turner
Chester, New Jersey
鈥淔or me and my 21 teammates, the changing of the seasons is also accompanied by 5-ounce solid plastic balls. Field hockey balls, to be exact.鈥
David Sanford
Elizabeth T. Kennan Professor of Music
鈥淚 learn from my students all the time.鈥
Madeline Fitzgerald
Hebron, Connecticut
鈥淭here is not just one category of LGBTQ+ people here. There is, no pun intended, every color of the rainbow: Athletes, nerds, partiers and artists are all represented in our thriving community.鈥
Jai Pemmaraju (left)
Iowa City, Iowa
鈥淚鈥檓 part of Asian American Students in Action and we represent the ACE house. Being part of the AASIA has really provided me with a sense of community.鈥
Marisol Fernandez
Miami, Florida
鈥淎t 果冻传媒, we have a very philanthropic sense of thinking. We always want to find a way to give back and make things better. I think that鈥檚 not typical at other institutions. Here, the liberal arts give a deeper way of looking at things, but also a wider way. You think of the repercussions, the history, the individual.鈥
Donari Yahzid
Atlanta, Georgia
鈥淚 knew that if I attended Mount Holyoke, I would be so proud of the person I would become.鈥
Tess Tuitoek
Nairobi, Kenya
鈥淭he Shirley Chisholm Living-Learning Community and The Betty Shabazz Center are where I鈥檝e made friends and family for life.鈥
Virginia Guerra
Miami, Florida
鈥淎s a Cuban American from Miami, Florida, I was slightly terrified at the thought of moving to a place that had this concept of 鈥榥egative degrees.鈥欌
Lexi Lobdell
Portola Valley, California
鈥淎s a first-year student, I was intimidated to suggest that I could conduct an experiment with horses. However, Professor Breen smiled at me, asked a few questions and informed me that she would talk to Professor Patel at dinner about how Tufts and Mount Holyoke could collaborate to conduct a joint project.鈥
Jessie Maier
Rahway, New Jersey
鈥淪houtout to the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life and Jewish Student Union! As a student of faith, it鈥檚 important to find support and community during the religious holidays that I can鈥檛 celebrate with family.鈥
Kate Meacham (second from left)
Evansville, Indiana
鈥淭he entrepreneurship club is a great place for people to connect who are interested in changing the world by starting their own businesses.鈥
Sarah Paust
Southeast Florida
鈥淭he Outing Club has shown me time and again that the only obstacle standing in my way is my own hesitation.鈥
Lisa Garrity
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
鈥淚 needed a strong liberal arts academic program that would challenge me and allow me to take a wide range of courses. I needed a supportive environment with small classes that would encourage my introverted self to speak up. I needed Mount Holyoke.鈥
Regina Carey
Belmont, Massachusetts
鈥淎 large part of the Mount Holyoke experience is taking advantage of all that the Pioneer Valley 鈥 the beautiful region where Mount Holyoke is situated 鈥 has to offer.鈥
Chloe Jensen
Eugene, Oregon
鈥淪houtout to Mount Holyoke News! Being surrounded by intelligent, eloquent students who publish great work every week has impacted me in every positive way.鈥
Relyn Myrthil
Miami, Florida
鈥淩enaissance School is a remarkable opportunity. I get to show other students how amazing art is, how accessible it can be to anyone.鈥
What will your Mount Holyoke experience be?
Hear some of our students discuss some of their favorite aspects of the Mount Holyoke experience in these 1:1 conversations.
