When school moved online in response to Covid-19 this spring, a group of St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s alumni acted quickly to support their alma mater. After experiencing first-hand how difficult remote learning could be, Rosy Arora ‘17 decided to launch an initiative to help younger students. As Rosy explained, “I knew that students much younger than me would have the same difficulties on a larger scale, and I wanted to do everything I could to help.”
What took shape was a multi-month program of high school and college-aged alumni partnering with current SHSH students to guide them through online learning. Twenty alumni participated in the program. Eager to give back to her former school, alumna Morgan Wright ‘18, recounts signing up for the program as soon as she received the email.
Morgan and the other alumni mentors connected with their students over Google Meet. Their sessions ranged from homework help to general catching up, and as Laura O’Sullivan ‘18 describes, “I really enjoyed hearing about how the students were doing as well as helping them with their work.” Both mentors and mentees reflected on how it was nice to have these moments of one-on-one interaction. Though virtual, these instances of connection proved meaningful during a time of such intense social isolation.
These connections are truly what define our St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s community, and we are immensely grateful to our alumni for their generosity of time and spirit. By offering their support, they stepped up to help their fellow students in a way that truly embodies our St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s values. Thank you, alumni!
Thank you, Andoni Albertell, Rosy Arora, James Bergstrom, Federico Bitar, Maxi Bitar, Caroline Ciagne, Grace Ciagne, Max Desmangles, Andrew Franks, Alexandra Hornick, Henry Kuck, Elizabeth Levengood, Annie Lord, Laura O'Sullivan, Claire Ottenstein, Camille Seeley, Elizabeth Siddiqui, Nathalie Vieux-Gresham, Morgan Wright, and Eliza Ziehl!