WOAW and the College reached tentative agreements for Union Rights and Access and Recognition for union members. However, the session did not address major proposals, such as compensation, workload and appointments and reappointment. The Union did not consider there to be enough progress made to end the strike.

Movements made

The College came with 16 proposals and a package of various benefits, including child care and paid medical leave.

The College offered a $5,000 child care benefit for BUEs with dependents six years and younger.

WOAW members said this proposal came unexpectedly and were hopeful the College could extend this policy to tenured faculty and staff.
The College also offered two semesters of paid medical leave that BUEs may take over the course of their careers. 

While the Union recognized the progress, they hoped to see a longer, more generous timeline for illness.

In another movement, the College guarantees that any case of alleged discrimination, harassment, or bullying can proceed to grievance and arbitration, reversing a firm stance they took in the past that would only allow the Union to proceed to grievance after arbitration and the College’s final actions.

  They did not provide definitive answers on the Union’s proposal to include a statement of non-discrimination on the basis of immigration status, in the case of a federal law change in the future.

The Immigration and Nationality Act already prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals based on their citizenship status, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment, or referral for a fee. 

Disagreement remains

The College wrote in a campus-wide email that it presented the Union with “significant moves.”

Anne Brubaker, Senior Lecturer in the Writing Program, acknowledged the College’s efforts in benefits but said they failed to present a comprehensive package that included all their articles and top-priority issues. 

Despite going on strike, the Union members are frustrated by the lack of urgency and slow progress of bargaining from the College side. 

The Union offered to extend the Tuesday bargaining session and meet on Wednesday, but the College insisted on meeting on Thursday on their previously agreed-upon schedule.    

“It just seems they’re almost acting unbothered…There’s no sense of urgency from the College’s bargaining team,” said Jacquelin Woodford, Lecturer in Chemistry.

The College strongly disagrees with that assertion, said the College in a statement to the News. They continued to propose third-party mediation, through a neutral private mediator, as federal mediators are no longer a viable option.

“The union continues to strike and shows no urgency around the College’s request to pursue private mediation – a tried and true method of resolving labor disputes,” said the College.

Brubaker rejected the College’s characterization of the strike as premature.

“We feel like in some ways, yes, we were striking because of the sticking points, but we were also striking to get them back to the bargaining table,” said Brubaker.

Brubaker also rejected the idea that bargaining has reached a point where mediation is necessary.

“And I know that they have suggested that we were at an impasse, and we needed mediation. But an impasse isn’t the same as not showing up and countering our proposals in a meaningful way,” said Brubaker.

“We call on the union to end the strike, focus on the critical work at the negotiating table, and allow students to return to their usual classes,” Coile and Slaboden wrote in the email.

In an email statement to the News, Brubaker wrote, “The College announcement from Provost Coile mentions ‘retirement benefits’ but this was not in the proposal package.”

In the meantime, WOAW’s bargaining update stated that on the evening of Apr. 1, the bargaining team sent another comprehensive package to the College ahead of bargaining on Apr. 3. This is the second comprehensive package, which includes information about all articles, that the Union has sent to the College.

The College and WOAW-UAW will return to bargaining Thursday, Apr. 3.

International Mother Language Day is celebrated annually on Feb. 21 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. It was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999 to commemorate the Bangla Language Movement, wherein Bangladeshis fought for the recognition of their mother tongue, Bangla. This movement began when the Pakistani government implemented a policy that made Urdu the official language of the country, even though the majority of East Pakistan’s population spoke in Bangla. What followed were mass protests, and on Feb. 21, 1952, police opened fire on student protesters; two decades later, East Pakistan gained independence and became what is now known as Bangladesh, or Land of Bangla. 

Wellesley’s BSA commemorated the event by inviting students to showcase the beauty of their mother tongues and cultural heritage through a performance of their choice. Performances ranged from traditional dances to spoken words to songs. Performances were given in a range of languages, such as Bangla, Urdu, Creole, Spanish, Chinese and Korean. At the end of the performances, the mic was open to the rest of the audience, underscoring the warm and welcoming nature of the event. 

The Wellesley News spoke with Alisha Shahriar ’25 and Samihath Zaman ’25, co-presidents of the BSA and coordinators of the event. They spoke about how the 1952 event was such a catalyst for Bangladeshi independence and how they hoped to honor that through this annual event. 

Zaman said that Coffeehouse is “what you feel most comfortable with. People can sing, they can do poetry, they can dance to songs in their mother tongues or the languages that they feel most comfortable with.” 

She explained that at her first Coffeehouse she talked about how much she enjoyed BSA in the open mic portion, and how she truly appreciated being culturally immersed in the space and hearing people speak Bangla. 

BSA has become an integral part of Shahriar and Zaman’s Wellesley community. They both have been on e-board since first-year, when they joined the organization and realized what an important space it was. The organization hosts various events throughout the year, including lectures, collaborations with other organizations — Wellesley or otherwise —  and fun bonding events, but Coffeehouse is the main event they do annually every year; it has become a staple BSA is very proud of. 

Shahriar thinks this year was their biggest turnout, something BSA is very proud of. They also saw new forms of expression this year, especially with dances. 

They also introduced “Cha” for the first time, which they think people enjoyed. Overall, they described the atmosphere as positive and happy.

“I think a lot of people mentioned that there was a sense of joy that could be felt,” Shahriar said. 

Shahriar and Zaman hope that this inspires more people to come to Coffeehouse next year, but also to overall promote cultural understanding and community on campus. 

“I would encourage anybody, no matter how confident you feel speaking another language, if you have something that you’d like to share or a language that feels especially important to you, we’d love to hear about it,” Shahriar said. 

Zaman concluded by pointing out the importance of cultivating spaces for everyone to feel comfortable to share their culture: “I’m glad, through the Coffeehouse and through other BSA events, we have tried our best to do it, to create a safe space for everyone to share … it’s really beautiful.”

Image credit: Samihath Zaman ’25

Contact the editor responsible for this story: Hira Khan

Correction issued: Alisha Shahriar’s name has been updated. The previous version was misspelled.

For many, this may have been the first time they had set foot in the greenhouse. But for Professor Kristina Jones, Director of the Botanic Gardens and Faculty Director of the Botanic Gardens, there is so much more to the greenhouse than these recurring Nights at the Greenhouse. 

“There’s a long history … it’s been 100 years since the greenhouses were built, and the outdoor gardens,” Jones explains. “The founder, Margaret Ferguson, was really into how plants connect to just about everything in the liberal arts, or could potentially … [she was] very forward thinking.” 

The greenhouse has been putting on this show since 2006, as a way to preserve the passions of Ferguson and others a century ago. While the greenhouse might be overwhelming in the daytime, Jones believes that at night, certain plants can be spotlit to tell a story. 

“We like to say you get to see plants in a whole new light,” she jokes. 

Night at the Greenhouse also featured the sculpture work of Isaac Zerkle ’17, an alum and Theater major. Jones encountered their work in a Jewett exhibit last year, and felt that their experience with light and art, as well as their personal connection to the college, made them the perfect artist for the greenhouse show. 

“This just really was a sweet spot, because Isaac both really knew lights and had really artistic visions for you know how the greenhouse could tell stories, right? In addition to their sculptures.” Jones says. “So it was this amazing mix of art and plants in motion, and a little bit of a theater aspect to it as well.”

Jones hopes events like this will inspire people to visit the greenhouse more often and learn about its history. She says that one of the beautiful things about the greenhouse and botanical gardens is that they are meant to be global: they should go past the scientific and bring a cultural importance with them to students and visitors, as a public face of the college. 

“We’ve gone for both the diversity of plants to tell stories about adaptation and evolution for the biology folks, but also culturally relevant plants, which is most plants, and trying to tell their stories … we don’t want it to be just a display of objects; these are living, really important relatives. Some people would think of them that way, and that’s a very, very helpful way to think about plants,” she says. 

More than that, the greenhouse can be a hangout place for students, and it even has a stage for performances. Jones believes that there are opportunities for creativity everywhere in the greenhouse. She intentionally doesn’t want the greenhouse to be dictated for something particular, but rather be for anything. That’s also why she asks students to decide on the theme every year; this year, Jones gave a special shoutout to Thorndike Interns Hana Hussaini ’27 and Ximena Sanchez ’27 for picking the theme of “Plants and Movement” and working to make the show a success. 

“We’re planting seeds, right? In people’s minds, oh, the greenhouse is cool for something I’m doing,” she concludes. “Having an event like this brings in folks that hopefully will bring in a whole bunch of different ideas.”

Contact the editor responsible for this story: 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

Kodavarti joined WASAC her first year, looking for a space where she could find a common community of peers. She said that where she grew up, there wasn’t a lot of encouragement or displays of South Asian culture, and so coming to Wellesley, she wanted to find a place where a South Asian community thrived. When she saw WASAC’s booth at the orgs fair, she decided to go to a couple of meetings and realized it was the place for her. 

“I’m really happy I joined, I think it’s a really good community and I’ve made a lot of friends,” she said. 

Kodavarti quickly got involved with the org through general membership and e-board, becoming one of the first-year representatives and helping out with the cultural events that were put on during her first year. Kodavarti said she felt impassioned to continue her involvement in the org and to promote an inclusive community for South Asians on campus. She had an especially positive experience with Shruti Laya, and when she got the chance to run as the co-cultural chair for this year, she took it.

Leading up to the event, she handled lighting, music, and performances, not just from Wellesley, but South Asian organizations from other colleges. It was a big production that took the help of a lot of members and Wellesley resources, and Kodavarti said that it was a big responsibility to get right.

She explained that Shruti Laya is a great example of  WASAC’s greater role on campus: to serve as a support network for South Asian students. She said that it’s a mix of important shows and events, meetings, and also casual hangouts that just help students interact.

“Right now and in the near future, there’s probably going to be increased hatred,” Kodavarti explained. She hopes WASAC can serve as a respite for South Asian students from those feelings.

Kodavarti also said a big part of the org is learning and growing. She said that WASAC has a deep history of being less inclusionary, and they have been trying to encourage recent collaborations with other cultural orgs to foster acceptance and cultural understanding. She noted that especially with the amount of first years who are passionate about participating this year, it’s important that they draw from all parts of South Asian culture.

One example of this is the recent collaboration between WASAC and the Bangladeshi Student Association (BSA), when the org hosted a talk with three professors who were involved in the Bangladeshi student uprising. The event gave the students a chance to talk with these professors, learn about the political issues that Bangladesh is facing and talk with students from other South Asian orgs. 

“In college — in general — people can feel alone,” Kodavarti said. She recommends students find cultural orgs that will give them a chance to speak about their experiences and passions, and to feel like more of a community. 

Kodavarti encourages anybody who feels they have a place in the org to get involved, and anybody who wants to learn to go to public events. She also notes that other orgs should always reach out for collaborations, since they are always looking to partner with and learn from other students. She concluded by saying that WASAC is always meant to be a safe space for South Asian students throughout their time at Wellesley.

“I really like WASAC and you should too!” 

Image credit: Jiya Singh ’27

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Diya Khanna

Julie Jordan, resident director for Wellesley Fresh at Wellesley College, oversees the culinary program on campus. She is passionate about providing high quality food to students, but like most, Jordan can’t always get students’ direct feedback on how things are operating with AVI Fresh day-to-day. She therefore encourages students to use the Text the Manager (TTM) feature of Wellesley Fresh: if you text (781) 531-9113 about anything dining-related, you can give your direct thoughts on staff, food and anything else you want to mention about dining. Jordan says this can do more than just change the occasional food item.

“Positive feedback, in particular, can lead to special acknowledgments, like shout-outs during team huddles or rewards such as a coffee card for specialty drinks at retail locations,” she explained. 

Jordan also says that the TTM texts can help with quick responses and long-term changes in the dining halls. For example, if a dining hall runs out of something, texting the manager can inform the dining staff so they can quickly replace it. Or, if something is overcooked or undercooked, they can quickly inform the dining hall worker so they can correct it in real time. But it’s not just quick things you can text about: Jordan encourages students to send in their favorite dishes or features, which helps the managers know what is in high demand and should be made more. 

“Our dining team is committed to creating a dining experience that students love and feel proud of,” Jordan said and explained that she hopes more students will text in the future so the dining staff can continue to improve. 

But while Jordan and the Wellesley Fresh team rely on texts for most student feedback, quite a few students aren’t familiar with TTM. When reaching out to students in the Wellesley community, most did not know what AVI Fresh texts are and instead shared their thoughts on AVI Fresh overall.

“I have no idea [about the texts], but in regards to food, I like it, it’s decent and sometimes the food is really good. However, the online menus can be inaccurate,” Keza Ineza ’28 responded when asked about her feelings on AVI Fresh texts. “I don’t really use it, as I’m not a picky eater, and will eat whatever I think is good at the dining hall, but sometimes when I do use it, it’s inaccurate, sometimes for times and sometimes for the food.” The issue of the online menus being inaccurate appears to be a concern for other students as well.

“For the most part, the menus are accurate, however, they can and do change without warning which can sometimes be a bummer if it was something you were looking forward to,” said Elisha Andrews ‘28,, who also was unaware of AVI Fresh texts, shared. “Overall, I enjoy AVI Fresh and especially love the dining hall staff. They’re all so kind and work to create and distribute food to us students.”

However, other students know about AVI Fresh and are fans of the texting program. Julia Reste ’27 says that she started using TTM back in her first year, and that she saw results from her feedback. 

“The reason I text the manager is because I really like giving them feedback and getting their perspective,” she explained. 

She said that she has texted them a few times, from asking about a strange taste in the water to getting an early notification about Applepalooza when she asked for it. Also, when Reste asked them to make feijoada — a Brazilian dish that reminded her of home — after Wellesley Fresh had made it earlier in the year, they brought it back to Stone Davis and have had it consistently since then. 

As Jordan told us, “When you share which dishes you enjoy and mention team members who made your day, it helps us recognize their hard work and make meaningful improvements to our program.”

Students’ everyday interactions with the dining hall staff seem to be a common highlight of the current AVI Fresh experience at Wellesley. They not only provide the food and nutrients we need but also spaces for collaboration, understanding and connection. Their constant presence encourages students to embrace and sustain the community aspect of Wellesley.

“I think we are super lucky to have access to nutritious food and water … The dining hall workers are also super nice and sweet. Talking with them makes my day!” Ineza commented.

Image credit: Wellesley College

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Diya Khanna

Garber, a religion and political science double major, has been working at a Political Action Committee (PAC) called Rural Ground Game for quite a few years now, and it has significantly influenced her understanding of rural American politics. The PAC provides ground support to rural Democratic campaigns and community leaders in Virginia, where Garber is from, and they focus on the fact that the rural communities impact elections in significant ways. They are dedicated to ground work and community organizing for Democrats in the Appalachia area especially, and Garber explains that their work is focused on building connections first and foremost.

Garber says, “We cannot expect to be seen as relevant or supportive of the best interest of our communities if we neglect to directly and consistently engage with them, listen and ask questions, [and] learn and work collaboratively on solutions to the challenges they face.”
Garber’s specific job — which she began in 2021 — is a special project and youth coordinator. This means that she works with rural Democratic campaigns to help them engage with young people on modern platforms. Garber’s main goal is to help them build capacity and a better system that helps them more effectively utilize their community resources, often through virtual formats that might help campaigns and committees reach young voters.

Garber works in all rural areas of Virginia, where she was born and raised, but her work is based in the Shenandoah Valley. Garber has a deep connection to the area; it is part of her heritage and the community she grew up in. She explained that Appalachia is the poorest region in the U.S., and people in rural areas seriously struggle with healthcare access, infrastructure, education, broadband access, energy access, economic opportunities, news access, agriculture,  feeling effects of climate change like extreme drought and more.  She emphasizes showing up for all rural communities in the area, each one unique, and says, “that’s how you build credibility and that’s how you build trust.”

“The consequences of leaving rural communities behind has been unacceptable for a long time now, but have now, especially for the 2024 election, truly shown themselves to be electorally invaluable,” she says.

For the 2024 election, which held not only a presidential run but also Senate and House races for Virginia, Garber helped create video ads, signs, print materials, billboards, newspaper ads and much more, all centered around empowering rural communities. Because her biggest passion is talking about the issues that matter to rural voters and hearing what they find most important in today’s political climate, Garber ran Rural Ground Games texting program, which allows her to reach over 100,000 people a minute.
“I know a lot of people at Wellesley probably received some really annoying texts. I promise mine are not annoying, and I’m here to talk about values that matter to communities,” Garber joked.

She helped craft and send texts to voters in Virginia, encouraging and educating on the progressive views of candidates in Virginia. She also participated in something called deep canvassing, where door-to-door volunteers speak extensively with community members about what’s on their mind and how they can be supported, spending longer at each door than most in normal canvassing. In this election, Garber’s PAC continued to put their focus on the rural, less-contacted areas of Virginia, emphasizing how voters’ needs were getting prioritized.

“Every person deserves that because every person deserves dignity, regardless of their ZIP Code,” Garber explained.
She had hoped for a lot of Democratic wins in this election, and she had also been hopeful for a Democratic shift in rural communities. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the outcome. Garber explains that while Rural Ground Game saw it in a few places, it was clear that there’s a lot more work to be done on the national and local level.

“I think post-election, I was numb for quite a while, and very much struggled with the reality of what we’re going to have to live through for the next four years,” Garber said. But she’s not giving up; she knows that there are wonderful people in her communities that are going to fight ignorance and bigotry vehemently. She encourages avoiding the “pit of despair” that seems so easy to fall into after the election, and she has been trying to remind herself of the wonderful people she talks to every single day, all of which support Progressive views and are still willing to defend them.

So, why does Garber think the election outcome was the way it was? She thinks that the Democratic Party needs to heavily consider a few things. One, she thinks that they ought to be fighting more in rural communities, because Garber points out that their aggressive turnout can drown out turnout in urban suburban areas very, very quickly. She also thinks that the Democratic campaigns need to expand beyond working just with big national movements, and put more emphasis into supporting local Democratic campaigns like Rural Ground Game does. She believes this is the best way to reach rural communities, a demographic that plays a big role in the outcome of recent elections.

Garber also cites the economy and the way it is presented to voters as a huge issue. She says voters receive economic messaging every day, and that the Democrats don’t always have the best counter to negative economic messaging against them. She also warns that this may cause a significant indoctrination of Gen Z men, something that she says has become evident in this past election cycle, as well as a rural belief in Conservative fiscal policy.

Beyond that, Garber believes that Democrats “really need to do an intentionally better job at forging relationships and connections, because I think our two sides have become so isolated from one another that we failed to create those meaningful relationships that change people.” She says that she is over the blame game, too, and that Democrats do not have to shift to the center; they just need to connect to more people. Garber worries that Democrats have become so isolated in a political bubble that doesn’t allow them to create those relationships that will change minds and lives — something that, for her, goes well beyond the election.

Garber’s work isn’t done: Rural Ground Game believes in a year-round ground support campaign. She says that this election has shown her that that kind of work is even more crucial than ever before, and she is empowered to continue fighting for Democratic policies and education on Democratic policy in communities.

“We can’t just rely on a certain candidate. We have to work 24/7; we have to show up for others. We have to be in a community and we have to care for every single person no matter what, because it’s the right thing to do, [and] because every single person has inherent value,” Garber emphasizes.

She said she’s feeling hopeful, because of how many people she knows are already ready to start putting up that fight. She knows many will be devastated by the outcome of this election, but they aren’t allowing themselves to wallow in that despair; they are continuing to advocate for communities and democratic policies in rural areas.

She leaves with this: “every single person can organize and get involved in their community.” Garber says the most meaningful work you can do sometimes it’s simply building relationships with others, especially people you love and care for. This can create a community that pushes Democratic values and progressive thinking forward. There is no easy way to fix the problems America is currently facing, but Garber says that sometimes the best fights are the hardest ones. She loves her community. She loves the people in her community and she thinks they’re worth fighting for, and she encourages everyone to join.

“And if you don’t know how to organize, you don’t know where to start, you don’t know what identity it is that you want to focus your organizing on, I would really encourage you to come talk to me … it took me a long time to find my niche, but I love Appalachia more than anything, and I will fight for it.”

The views in this article reflect the personal beliefs of the interviewees, and are not necessarily representative of the organization they are a part of.

Image credit: Abby Garber

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Diya Khanna

I sat down with Yasmeen Early ’26, who transformed the classic Dubai chocolate bar into Levantine-style fried ice cream and brought it to Wellesley.

Seeing the social media storm of Dubai chocolate, Early started making the chocolate recipe. After revisiting the pistachio filling over and over, she decided — sweltering in the Maryland heat — that it would be amazing in ice cream. 

However, Hilwa Ice Cream Co. was more than a viral TikTok trend, it was also rooted in Early’s heritage and fond family memories. Early’s family hails from the Levant region, close to the West Bank in Palestine, and her heritage inspired her to create a twist on classic Middle Eastern flavors. 

“Growing up, I ate a lot of Palestinian desserts, like “baklava” and “kunafa.” Those played a really big role in meshing those flavors with ice cream,” Early said.

Early pays homage to her heritage and family, naming her business after her great-grandmother, Hilwa. In Arabic, Hilwa means something along the lines of sweet, nice and beautiful.

Her grandmother, or “siti” as Early calls her, also played a huge role in inspiring Hilwa to get up and running. She immigrated to the US at the age of 17 when her family was displaced from East Jerusalem and moved to Ramallah. 

Her grandmother has been a fan of all the desserts Early created in the summer. In fact, Early would make a sugar-free version of her ice cream for her grandma, who is a type two diabetic. The sugar-free version is now also available upon request. 

“I love her, and she was the main person who, like, supported me back home,” she said.

In Early’s ice cream recipe, she mixes flavors like pistachio butter and tahini, along with kataifi, a thin shredded phyllo dough. These ingredients gave ice cream more of a traditional Middle Eastern taste, reminding her of other Levantine and Palestinian desserts. Early’s family has been involved in every step, tasting her experiments and supporting her before she began to sell the ice cream. 

Early wants to make the Levantine-style ice cream affordable and available to everyone. Early makes three main flavors – salted caramel vanilla, cookie dough and fudge vanilla swirl – but also offers specialty flavors upon request and lactose-free vanilla. The ice cream comes in cups as well as pints, for those just trying out the ice cream to long-time fans. Even though Early is juggling everything as a full-time student, she is committed to getting the ice cream to her customers as quickly as she can, usually available within a week for pick up or delivery. 

One cup of ice cream is around $7 and a pint for around $13. While the prices may be daunting for some, Early said the ingredients are expensive and she puts lots of time into handcrafting the ice cream. 

“I put a lot of time, effort and love into my product and craft each batch with care and … love and deliciousness,” she said.

Early is eager to have more people try the unique Levantine dessert, in the future. While she only operates in Wellesley and ships to the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area, she one day hopes to have her business sold in Middle Eastern markets. 

She is also planning on holding a fundraiser for Gaza in the next month, hoping to raise money to support Palestine while also having people try her product. 

In short, Yasmeen Early has blended viral and beloved flavors with traditional Levantine desserts to make a unique product. Hilwa Ice Cream Co. has gotten positive feedback from a variety of Wellesley students.

“I want people to step out of their comfort zones and try something new, and experience new flavors, experience new textures,” Early said.  

She hopes that her business can help people taste the beauty of her Palestinian roots, but also her passion for creating ice cream and her dedication to accessibility and quality products. As of now, her order form is ready and waiting — if you’re ready to take a flavorful leap of faith. 

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Valida Pau

If you or someone you know at Wellesley is interested in having a business or product featured in the News, please contact features@thewellesleynews.com or Phoebe Rebhorn at pr104@wellesley.edu

If you enter Billings and venture up the stairs to the famous massage chair, you’ll see the machine nestled in the corner, stocked with not just emergency contraceptives, but also pads, tampons, pain relief and more. It isn’t monitored, it’s restocked and it’s free. All one has to do is grab a coin from the basket below the machine, select what they need, and leave Billings with their supplies in hand.

The vending machine has been in the works for a while now. It was first introduced at the Mar. 4 2024 Senate meeting, according to Wellesley’s official Senate reports. Presented by Students-at-Large and Spring 2024 SHEs Co-Presidents Sofia Hernandez Santillan ’24 and Coco Plasencia ’24, they requested a one-time recreation grant of $2,673 to establish a free contraceptive vending machine on campus. Advocates for Youth, a non profit organization, had donated a supply of Plan B to Wellesley, consisting of 300+ packets of emergency contraception, and the vending machine would allow students to  access the emergency contraception from 8a.m. to 12a.m. in Billings. 

In an Instagram statement put out by the SHEs on April 18, they explained that getting the official approval to purchase the vending machine was a result of the combined work of SHEs from the last few years and present SHEs, Wellesley for Reproductive Justice, Wellesley for Community Care, as well as many members of Wellesley’s college government. Current SHEs Co-President Anneliese Peerbolt ’26 said at the opening that they “are super proud of [Coco and Sophia],” and noted the two won the Camellia Student Leadership Award for Creative Leadership for their work on the machine last spring.

This hard work came to fruition on Sept. 27, when the vending machine officially opened in Billings. I asked some of those attending and hosting the event about their feelings surrounding this new sexual health resource on campus. 

WRJ Co-President Allison Liu ’26 expressed how excited she was to open the vending machine, and made sure to emphasize that it cost nothing to get the emergency contraception. Erin Pav ’27, a member of WRJ’s Eboard, echoed that remark, saying, “We’re just really trying to raise awareness that it’s free and open.”

While this vending machine is impactful for those already at Wellesley, it has also meant a lot to some first years in particular as they settle into Wellesley. Jane Baymar ’28 was at the event and expressed how happy she is to have these kinds of resources for reproductive health so easily accessible on campus. 

“I’m just so excited to be able to celebrate this amazing moment for Wellesley,” she said. “Having these resources for everyone is so important.” 

As of now, the vending machine is up and available to all students. And thanks to the efforts of WRJ and SHEs, and the generous donation from Advocates for Youth, anyone can get the supplies they need to stay healthy. A win for reproductive justice, indeed. 

Image credit: Phoebe Rebhorn

Contact the editor(s) responsible for this story: Diya Khanna and Phoebe Rebhorn

I sat down to speak with Din this last week, and from the beginning of the conversation, it was clear that she is passionate about student involvement. Din arrived at Wellesley this past summer after an already-extensive career in student affairs in higher education. She had previously worked at the Asian-American Center at Northeastern University, residential life at various colleges, Director of Intercultural Affairs at Stonehill college, and has earned a Masters and PhD in higher education from University of Vermont and UMass Boston, respectively. She says that she has “devoted pretty much most of [her] career to serving historically oppressed communities,” and that she has always made that a priority in her previous positions. 

Din also remarks that, as a Filipina woman, she has been focused on anti-colonial narratives, and how identities, power, privilege, and oppression have been embedded in systems and institutions. Being able to work with that relationship, especially at small liberal arts institutions, has really made a difference to Din. She thinks that relationships with students at small institutions tend to feel more personal, and that she has been able to positively engage with more students. She also felt strongly that she would end up at a historically women’s college; Din says that went to a private all-women’s high school, and as she said, “some of my favorite people in the world are fiery women.”

Din believes  what comes out of the Office of Student Involvement should always be student-focused. She has already been working to involve herself in the Wellesley community—while she hasn’t had a lot of time to attend programs or get to know organizations, she is already adding events to her calendar. She says she’s trying to be intentional about what and who she shows up for, because showing up matters to students. She remarks, “I need to just make sure that I’m learning and listening, because you are all the experts of your experience here, not me.” Din has been reaching out to faculty and staff that especially work with marginalized communities on campus, trying to make sure she can hear a variety of voices. “How do students know that Student Involvement cares?” she asks. “I want to be able to make sure that students know that they can reach out to me if and when they need support.” She wants students to know that she brings a unique lens of intercultural awareness to the role too, and that she is open to all perspectives and experiences. 

Din’s model also seems to be that of learning and listening. When asked about her plans for students in the future, she said, “I think a huge part of my first year is I need to learn and listen and hear stories, the concerns, the challenges, the joys.” And in regards to struggles orgs may face with recognition, Din is prepared to listen to what students have to say. She says that she’s a problem solver at heart, and that her hope is that any barriers that exist for organizations can be addressed in the appropriate ways. She says, “if I’m noticing that there’s a specific policy or a procedure or some a process that seems to be like a barrier for students or student orgs, those are things that I like kind of latch on to, and…I’m so new, but I’m going to pay attention to it, because it seems like it’s an issue, right?” She explains that she not only wants to listen and learn from students, but also advocate for them in administrative settings. Din says every student deserves a transformable experience, and she can understand the frustration without being recognized. 

When asked about the issues with orgs’ funding, Din says that she heard about issues surrounding the student bursar and funding from last year. She was pleased to learn that they were now getting paid more equitably as part of the Cabinet for Student Government, but she’s also focused on making sure they are consistently heard and affirmed. And in regards to potentially replacing the Bursar with a more administrative position, Din said that it would depend on what students tell her and advocate for throughout the semester. “I’ve heard from student orgs too, and so I feel for them deeply, because I went to college too, and it’s just hard to want to do what you want to do when the resourcing is very limited,” Din said.

Overall, Dr. Kristine Din is excited for her new position and possibilities on campus. She says the part that she loves most is the students: their input, their excitement, and their openness. She says, “It is true that…I am in higher ed, in student affairs because of students and the belief that educators had in me, in my former college life, and so I tried to be that for students that I’ve worked with for a number of years now.” She remarks that the people here feel authentic and real, and it makes her all the more connected with her new role. “The people that I’ve met and been able to engage with so far are really authentic in their care for the campus community,” she concludes. 

Image credit: stonehill.edu

Contact the editor(s) responsible for this story: Diya Khanna and Phoebe Rebhorn