Last week, I had the incredible fortune to be invited to Barnard’s Annual Gala at the Plaza Hotel. The evening focused on raising money for student scholarships and honored two impressive women who have been very influential to the College. What a night! Barnard definitely knows how to throw a party. Dressed in stunning cocktail dresses, students, alumnae, friends and family all rubbed shoulders under the big crystal chandeliers. While it was fun to run around all dressed up and see Barnard Society enjoying their delicious dinners, one of the most important and inspirational parts of the evening was the auction.
It’s not every day you get to see people donating a full scholarship—$50,000 worth—but last Tuesday will stand out in my mind as being one of those few days. Knowing that several of my friends directly benefit from such generosity made the evening that much more poignant. When the bidding reached $10,000, President Spar stopped the momentum and announced something very special. “In honor of President Obama’s visit this May to give the speech at commencement, we have decided to create the Presidential Scholarship.” This was all it took for more and more hands to shoot into the air, bringing the donation totals to a record 2.3 million dollars.
Another heart-warming part of the night was the award ceremony in which two alumnae were given the Frederick A.P. Barnard Award for what is best described as their general awesomeness. Patricia Harrigan Nadosy ’68 is definitely a new role model for me—after receiving her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1970, when only 2% of the school’s students were female, she went on to become a foreign exchange trader, leaving 15 years later to start her own FX options consulting firm. In 1986, Patricia left the finance world to get her PhD in—who would have guessed?—botany! Her range of interests and her all-around dedication to her fields (and to Barnard) make her a truly incredible role model.
The second award recipiant, Elizabeth S. Boylan, is a rock star in the world of biology. Elizabeth is currently a part of the Sloan Foundation and directs their programs on STEM for higher education. She was also Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Barnard from 1995 to 2011, where she was an active part of the design decisions for the Diana Center and Cathedral Gardens. Elizabeth is a specialist in developmental biology and hormonal carcinogenesis, receiving her PhD in zoology from Cornell and a bachelor’s in biology from Wellesley. She holds a U.S. patent and has served as consultant for several cancer research institutes. How cool is that?! It ceases to surprise me how many amazing women have been leaders in the Barnard community.
Also significant about this year’s Gala was that it was the first time Barnard’s young alumnae hosted a hip after-party, called “Gala Nights.” The young alumnae seemed like they were having the best time, mixing and mingling with their former classmates and handsome young guys. An open bar with chic little desserts, an amazing DJ and bumping dance floor really made Gala Nights a success.
Barnard, you are just so classy and brilliant!
Photo Cred:
Asiya Khaki ’09