This year’s overarching theme was, “Frontiers of Change: Shaping the Next Wave of Innovation and Disruption.” Albright fellows were split into eight groups and assigned a topic under the general theme. One of the fellows, Annette Chun ’26, described her experience in an interview with the Wellesley News. Her group’s assigned topic was on technology-enabling healthcare in Kenya, a topic which was intentionally chosen for her team as they had no prior knowledge of it. Fellows, she explained, are usually given topics that they are unfamiliar with so they can become experts in a field they haven’t previously explored. This year’s program ran from January 2-18, giving fellows just over two weeks to transform their research into an elaborate presentation. 

 Chun explained, “We had three checkpoints to make sure we were on track with our research. Initially, we did broader research on tech-enabling healthcare in Kenya and then narrowed it down to the specific issue we wanted to present to the Distinguished Visiting Professor.” 

This year’s Distinguished Visiting Professor was Nicole Wong, who specializes in helping high growth technology companies with numerous tasks, such as AI governance and international privacy. She previously served as Deputy US Chief Technology Officer in the Obama Administration and has also worked for Google and Twitter, focusing on the intersection of law and technology. Albright fellows were expected to present to Wong, who would follow up with questions after the presentation. 

Says Chun, “One thing I thought was interesting was that presentations weren’t in a traditional slideshow format. Some people did skits, while others did mock podcasts. My group did a mediation because an official mediation is a commonly used platform in Kenya, so we decided to reenact that. Overall, people were really creative with their presentations.”

When asked about memorable moments in her Albright experience, Chun said, “I really enjoyed my cohort. The people in my Albright group were amazing: Virginia Little, Chantria Garcia, Lillie Stewart and Carme Sanz-Muñoz. During one memorable workshop, cohorts were instructed to build a bridge out of cardboard. It was a super fun bonding moment for us, and the overall energy was very positive.” 

When asked what advice she had for aspiring Albright fellows, Chun responded, “I think a lot of people think Albright only pertains to those interested in politics and international affairs, but in reality, the program is designed to be interdisciplinary and caters to students of all majors. A lot of Albright speakers are also Wellesley alums, which gave me a newfound appreciation of the College and community.” As Chun says, the application process may seem daunting, but it should not stop one from applying. In her experience, the Albright Program was a rewarding one that provided a new perspective on global affairs. 

Image credit: @albright.inst on Instagram

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Hira Khan

In a Letter to the Editor published in The Wellesley News edition of May 12, 1974, an individual by the name of R. Polly Sle championed the newly created term.

“I want to express my admiration and warm thanks to all those people who have worked so feverishly to make winter study at Wellesley in January, 1975 a reality, Wellesley’s first Winter Term promises to be a smashing success!

“The activities will be stimulating (if course titles are an accurate indication) and will provide students the opportunity to round out their education experience with some “fun” courses for a change.

“Moreover, Winter Term participants will learn what it is really like to live in a community. Some may say that we have all been doing that for some time now, but you are wrong. Winter Term will reveal to us the error of that myth. 

“Living together is one of the most important aspects of community life; and, as we all know, living arrangements have been worked out smoothly and to the satisfaction of everyone. The residents of Bates, Freeman and McAfee, who so cheerfully volunteered the use of their rooms, deserve a special thanks. Their enthusiastic cooperation has been a big help in the planning of Winter Term.

“With this success under our belts, we should plan to tackle bigger and better things. How about the residence contract? That definitely needs some revision — grants the student too many rights, we all know that power is dangerous in the hands of those who do not understand it. But that’s just a hint of what’s to come ….”

In the same edition of The Wellesley News, Ellen Myer expressed her disapproval of the Winter Term housing arrangements in a provocatively titled Letter to the Editor, “Winter term violates Rights of students.” In it she critiqued the policy that required all students staying on campus to reside in East Side dorms, forcing those already living there but not staying on campus over January, to completely move out.

“ … Obviously, the Winter Term we are being ‘offered,’ which claims the authorization of Academic Council, bears little resemblance to this proposal in terms of residence policy. Winter Term ’75 can succeed only if the college forces students who cannot or do not want to attend Winter Term to give up their rooms during January. This forced move entails a great deal of time spent packing, since the college will assume no liability for anything left in the rooms; and it requires such great amounts of time in the midst of final exams. Winter Term ’75 is not “voluntary and self-supporting,” as Academic Council mandated it should be.

“Whether or not Winter Term ’75 will occur remains to be seen. If it does, it will represent a gross inequity, a project built upon discrimination and exploitation, of which Wellesley can hardly be proud.”

Three years ago, when it seemed that wintersession might be cancelled permanently to allow time for the long-term construction of many buildings on campus, students and teachers rallied around the importance of the between-semester opportunity, but the program obviously took time to reach its current popularity. Perhaps we owe a debt of thanks to Myer that we get to keep our rooms throughout Wintersession.  

Image credit: Wellesley College Archives

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Hira Khan

The foreign language requirement is not a new concept to Wellesley students; students have been required to fulfill two years’ worth of a language for decades now, either through demonstrating fluency coming in, working on fluency in a language studied previously, or starting a new language altogether. However, while learning in a classroom is a common way to fulfill your requirements, Wellesley also offers opportunities for language-learning students to immerse themselves fully in their respective language-speaking cultures. 

Osman and Jaiyeola both felt an instant connection with the Arabic department and language when they began learning it last year. 

Osman took her first Middle Eastern Studies class last spring with Professor Marlow, which fueled her interest in getting more involved with Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. While she speaks a specific dialect of Arabic at home, Osman says the opportunity to learn formal Arabic, or Fusha, was important to her. 

Jaiyeola took her first Arabic class her freshman fall, crediting Professor Aadnani as a huge help in figuring out her language requirements. She said he, along with the other professors in the Arabic department, work to make learning enjoyable and reduce the stress that comes with learning a new language. 

“I love the Arabic department … I think that they work really hard to make learning enjoyable…sometimes it’s challenging when it’s a really difficult language to learn, but while in class, I never feel like I’m struggling because I can always ask for help,” said Jaiyeola. 

They both love Arabic so much that they ended up working towards an informal minor in Arabic. That passion they have for Arabic propelled them to apply for the Wintersession program in Morocco through the MES 270 course. 

The program is designed to immerse students in Moroccan Arabic and Moroccan culture — from living with host families to visiting cities all over the country.

Undoubtedly, the program boosted their Arabic study as students stayed with host families who made them meals, took them around the area, and spoke to them in Arabic.  More than that, they gained an understanding of the beauty of Moroccan culture.

“We went to a lot of the different cities, and we got tours of them all. We learned a lot about the communities within not just the touristy stuff, but about what the people in these areas live like.” Osman said. 

Osman and Jaiyeola both mentioned how good their host families were. Jaiyeola pointed out how she continues to speak with her host mother, and had been texting with her the day before our conversation.

“I think that it’s very beautiful the way that the families interact with each other, but also working to like, make us feel included as well,” she said.

To Osman, eating dinner with the families every night made her feel at home as well as conversations and activities with her siblings. Both got to travel with families around the city and to malls and the beach; it made Osman and Jaiyeola feel like they were a part of the community. More than that, they said that people in Morocco were nothing but supportive of them learning Arabic. 

“Even shop sellers, if you could speak Arabic, they were extremely proud of you. And it’s like, I don’t even know you, but that’s very sweet. And sometimes they give you advice on how to get prices down when you’re talking to other sellers.” Jaiyeola said. 

Even though dialects of Arabic made it harder to communicate, they felt encouraged to try new words and phrases that they didn’t learn in class.

They left the Wintersession feeling not only more confident in their Arabic skills but also with a new understanding and appreciation of Moroccan culture. They recommend that Arabic students take the program and agree that the department is really experienced with keeping students safe while giving them new opportunities. 

Jaiyeola ended her interview with some advice for Wintersession abroad: “Maximize the amount of time that you have there, like, take advantage of everything. Just allow yourself to feel uncomfortable in the moment and then try something new. I think that anybody that goes would benefit from it a lot.” 

Osman agreed, and then offered perhaps the most important piece of advice: “Come with your bargaining skills ready.” Hopefully, Arabic students at the next Wintersession will take that to heart.

Image credit: Aayah Osman

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Hira Khan

Wintersession 2022 was originally set to host four intensive language classes: Arabic, Italian, German and Russian. The courses over the course of three weeks aimed to jumpstart students’ study of the languages. Shortly after the announcement, RUSS 101 was canceled after careful consideration over concerns of teaching efficacy. In an email sent to students who had enrolled in the course, Professor Thomas Hodge explained that class materials are “deeply analogue” and that it was “simply not possible” to adapt them for a digital environment.

As the Russian department is the only language that grants academic credits for 101 without subsequently taking 102, students enrolled in RUSS 101 had to reconsider their academic plan for the winter. This caused some students frustration.

“I need the last credit to officially graduate,” Alex Delgadillo ’21 said. “I felt a great sense of defeat as I was held back for no reason.” 

Credit issues were said to be resolved through the Academic Review Board. In communication with Professor Hodge, students who wanted to receive credit with 101 worked with their class deans for a petition to the Academic Review Board. He said he would recommend to the Board to grant petitions under the trying circumstances. 

Wintersession started remotely on January 3, 2022, as scheduled. Faculty, teaching assistants and students reported an overall satisfactory experience during the three-week period. Kexin Zhao ’24 found the remote setting to be more helpful than anticipated. When studying Arabic pronunciation, the absence of masks enabled better visualization of articulations of the Arabic alphabet.

“Professor [Daniel] Zitnick exaggerates his lips movement and it was constructive for us to be proficient in pronouncing Arabic words correctly,” she said. 

Acknowledging the hardship of compressing a semester’s worth of material into three weeks, professors utilized interactive technology, creative assignments and additional tutoring support. Professor Zitnick said he would assign the class to work on a short, creative project or assignment during a 90 minute break: for instance, watching a music video, making a family tree or a Google Jamboard with a partner. 

For German, the class used the eTextbook “MindTap for Welten” to deliver a learner-centered experience with functions like practice quizzes and taking notes directly on the platform. Delgadillo, who later enrolled in GER 101, complimented the interactiveness and conduciveness to learning of the eTextbook. She also emphasized her appreciation for the tutoring session held by the teaching assistant Olivia Davis ’22.

“They are absorbing all that information so quickly,” Davis said. “I came up with exercises and at the same time reviewed some blind spots for myself.”

Despite efforts to alleviate students’ burden to learn intensively, Wintersession 2022 was a challenge for everyone. Delgadillo stressed the demanding reality of GER 101 which had 6 tests in total. Oftentimes a chapter test was on Wednesday, even though the chapter had just started on Monday.

The drawbacks of Zoom and the lack of physical interaction disrupted teaching as well. Professor Zitnick recalled, “In a classroom, you can hear the students repeating back to you and I can easily point out the mistakes. But with Zoom, everyone’s voices echo and it was difficult to hear clearly.” 

Olivia Davis ’22 felt a disconnect over Zoom compared to last semester where students always interacted with her and each other. 

Wintersession 2022 concluded on January 21, 2022.