Stories

Dec. 8, 2016

After a year with Change Corps, a national grassroots training organization, Yasmeen Silva ’15 is working as a community organizer for Fight for $15, a national organization working for a hike in the minimum wage and advocating for workers.

Nov. 17, 2016

Start with some flour, sugar, salt, eggs, yeast, vegetable oil and water. Add cheese or chives, garlic or cinnamon, apples or raspberries, or maybe some marshmallows or chocolate chips. Stir in a healthy serving of social consciousness, and what have you got? Vassar’s chapter of Challah for Hunger, a nationwide student group that’s been baking to fight poverty for more than a decade.

Nov. 17, 2016

For seniors on the Vassar women’s rugby team, being recognized as one of the elite squads in the country is nothing new. The Brewers have earned a berth in the American Collegiate Rugby Association Final Four three times in the past four years.

Nov. 16, 2016

On March 14, Director of Urban Studies and Associate Professor of English Tyrone Simpson boarded a train with 10 of his Vassar students. Technically speaking, it was spring break, but instead of making a beeline to sunny beach destinations, students in URBS 303 Advanced Debates in Urban Studies were heading west for nine days in chilly Detroit.

Nov. 9, 2016

Seven years ago, Gwen Schantz ’03 and Anastasia Cole Plakias ’05 began their journey to become farmers in New York City. Now Brooklyn Grange has 2.5 acres of rooftop farms, complete with greenhouses, beehives, chicken coops … and stunning views of Manhattan.

Nov. 2, 2016

After she graduated in 2015, Eunice Roh moved to Oklahoma City to work for Teach for America. She says her first year as a kindergarten teacher was as rewarding as it was challenging.

Nov. 1, 2016

Vassar's new science facility, the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, supports collaborations between the sciences by bringing the college’s various science departments and programs into closer physical proximity with shared access to state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.

Nov. 1, 2016

This spring, four artists and lecturers—including the world's first officially recognized cyborg—explored the breakdown of boundaries between humans and machines...and art and science.

Oct. 19, 2016

After a nine-month fellowship with the Coro Foundation learning about public affairs, Seth Bynum ’15 is working for the Benenson Strategy Group, a research and consulting firm that advises corporations, nonprofits, and political candidates.

Oct. 5, 2016

Computer science/Japanese double major Eliot Cowley designed his first game at Vassar; now he’s living the dream as a gaming programmer at Microsoft.

Sep. 29, 2016

David Means’s Hystopia is a dark, disturbing, and sometimes surprisingly funny tale of a Vietnam vet who chronicles the mental and emotional toll of the war. The novel was nominated for one of modern fiction’s most prestigious awards, the Man Booker Prize.

Sep. 26, 2016

After a year of getting some hands-on experience at an urgent care center as well as a neurobiology lab, Yefri Baez ’15 is in his first year at one of the nation’s top medical schools.

Sep. 19, 2016

Anu Sopeyin ’15 knew she wanted to be a doctor even before she arrived at Vassar from her home in Nigeria. Now in her first year at Yale Medical School, Sopeyin plans to return to Nigeria when she earns her degree and apply her skills where they’re needed most.

Sep. 9, 2016

When Elizabeth Balter ’15 enrolled at Vassar, she planned to go to medical school after she graduated. But those plans shifted after her family’s dog, a Bernese mountain dog named Samson, was diagnosed with cancer.

Feb. 15, 2016

Siennah Yang ’18 founded a local chapter of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine to deliver surplus food from restaurants to organizations that feed the hungry.

Feb. 1, 2016

What started out as a hobby for Alan Paris '81 evolved into a 10,000+ collection of news photographs chronicling major events of the 20th century.

Feb. 1, 2016

All-American status is bestowed on a tiny fraction of college athletes, and this year three All-Americans are from Vassar: Julia Cunningham ’17, Matthew Knigge ’18 and Taylor Vann ’16.

Feb. 1, 2016

A stuffed loon, an invitation to the 1879 Vassar Commencement, some carved African masks, a wallaby skeleton, and a softball trophy. These items, and many more eclectic pieces from the college’s past and present, are what you get when you bring renowned visual artist Mark Dion to the college and have him lead an American and Environmental Studies class on a campus-wide treasure hunt.

Feb. 1, 2016

For Vassar’s Jill Schneiderman, Professor of Earth Science, traveling to Iceland had long been a dream. “As a geologist, I’m drawn to any place where the earth is growing, melting, moving,” she says. Iceland, which straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, fits the bill. Volcanoes, geysers, glaciers, and hot springs abound, making the land a living laboratory for geology. 

Feb. 1, 2016

Over an hour-and-a-half period, the Choir and an audience of nearly 100 people moved to six venues on campus, exploring the acoustics of each space.