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She's Gold and Bold!

The BOLD Woman Award was given to Olympian Kacey Bellamy, seen below with President Leary, at the 23rd Annual Women’s Leadership Conference. The Bold Woman Award is bestowed upon women who have dedicated their lives to being bold, taking risks, striving to achieve their goals with dignity and passion, and who exemplify the very best attributes of being a bold woman. Kacey, a native of Westfield, MA, is a member of the gold medal 2018 U.S. Women’s Hockey Team. The audience gave Kacey a standing ovation not only for her hard work and dedication to her sport, but because she epitomizes what the student-Olympic athlete represents for so many people.

In Memoriam

On April 23, the ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ community gathered in Hatch Library to honor Joanne Guernsey, retired director of advertising and publications, with a memorial plaque. With deep sadness, we learned Joanne passed suddenly. This ceremony was a fitting remembrance both in place and significance, as Joanne was an avid reader and devoted to the written word. Joanne’s commitment to ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ was extraordinary. She began her tenure at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ in October 1973, as a public information assistant. For the next 34 years of her employment, she served under three presidents and was witness to the remarkable transformation of ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ from Junior College to College, and eventually University. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a major in journalism, Joanne put her reporting and skills as a scribe to good use—for 30 years she was the editor of the ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´way, among her many responsibilities. Joanne’s historical knowledge of ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ was legendary. Her ability to recollect events, people and stories will be sorely missed, as well as her quick wit and her finely honed pen as a grammarian. We will miss her… and we dedicate this issue of the ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´way to her memory.

ROAR! Wildcats Softball has Historic Season

The Wildcats Softball team won four games in a row to capture the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship. It was a historic feat, as the team became automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Softball Ithaca Regional Bracket. NECC Tournament MVP was ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ pitcher Felicia Gaillardetz ’20! Katrina Peck ’19 and Lauren Vallee ’18 were also recognized as NECC All-tournament players. In the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament, the Wildcats faced #1 seed Ithaca, losing 4-0. They came up short in the consolation game against Ramapo, 12-1. But this was a great and memorable experience for the team and the University—congratulations Steve Smith, director of athletics and NECC softball coach of the year, and the entire Wildcats softball team.

She Made a Perfect Pitch!

In front of a crowd of 450 guests including college presidents, faculty, entrepreneurs, and students, Victoria Thomas ’20 was one of three students selected as a winner in the 15th annual Live Elevator Pitch Competition at the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative Annual Banquet held on April 25th at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA. Victoria’s winning pitch was for her potential product, MicroBuddy. A handheld, portable test-probe device, MicroBuddy detects allergens in any type of food before taking a bite. MicroBuddy is small enough to fit in a purse, pocket, or a child’s school backpack, and uses existing technology to provide the accurate food allergen detection needed. Congratulations to Victoria and her coach and mentor, Assistant Professor Laurie Rosner, chair of undergraduate business programs!