Expressions of Gratitude

’Tis the season to be thankful.

In that spirit, we asked members of the Smith community to tell us what they are grateful for this year.

Here are a few of their expressions of gratitude.

“I am grateful for the opportunities that coming to Smith has provided me with, as well as meeting awesome people who have shown me what good friends really are.” —Diana Flores ’24

“I am so grateful for the many student, staff, faculty, alum, trustee, and community collaborators who help advance equity and inclusion at Smith and beyond. Together, we bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.” —Floyd Cheung, vice president for equity and inclusion​

“I am grateful for my friends this year. It is nice to feel like I can share these cold times with people who care about me.” —Valerie Olivares ’24

“I am thankful for our colleagues at the Forbes Library, Northampton’s public library, for the support the library staff has given over the years to Smith students. Forbes invited students in to study during the time Neilson Library was being constructed, provided jobs to students—giving them wonderful public library experience—and offered library cards to students on campus, giving them access to the extensive Central/Western Massachusetts public library network.” —Susan Fliss, dean of libraries

“I am deeply grateful for my house community at Hopkins House, which keeps me sane, warm, and alive. Hopkins truly feels like a home away from home. I am also utterly grateful for the sustained, determined dissent students express every day toward the structural inequities they face on a daily basis.” —Leela DePaula ’23, Student Government Association president

“I am grateful that it's open studios season around the Valley again. It’s been a fantastic reminder of how many brilliant creators make art around here!” —Jen Blackburn, program and outreach coordinator, Poetry Center

“I am grateful for family, friends, my grandpup, health, and amazing grace. I am so looking forward to some much-needed downtime, fellowship, and delicious food!” —Queen Lanier, assistant to the vice president, Office for Equity and Inclusion (photo, left)

“I am incredibly thankful for the student affairs staff who work tirelessly to meet the needs of the students each and every day. The mission of ‘engaging the whole student in a process of self-discovery to thrive in a complex and diverse global society’ takes on thousands of different meanings each week. The team’s dedication and constant interdepartmental collaboration is truly what makes it all possible.” —Kaitlin Rooks, director of medical operations, Schacht Center for Health and Wellness

“I’m grateful for my students in my class, IDP133: Critical Perspectives on Collaborative Leadership, for the ways they support each other, bring joy and a sense of community to every class, and lean into the challenges of learning how to work together in teams. They make me proud to be a Smithie!” —Erin Cohn ’00, director, Wurtele Center for Leadership

“I am grateful for the power and promise that is Smith. The beauty of our campus in all of her seasonal splendor, the depth of curiosity and wonder inherent in every Smithie, the intellectual content that feeds and nourishes us all. To my amazing Smith siblings, thank you for the richness of your brilliance, the depth of your care, the spirit of celebration whenever we gather and for the indelible bonds of friendship that strengthen us and last a lifetime.” —Denise Wingate Materre ’74, vice president for alumnae relations

“I am most thankful that my friends and family are happy and healthy. I am also thankful to work with colleagues that are truly invested in Smith and the work that we do.” —Maureen Pine, associate director of admission