On Thursday, Oct. 4, alumni gathered in Richardson Auditorium to mark the start of this weekend’s “She Roars: Celebrating Women at Princeton,” the second conference of its kind meant to celebrate University alumnae.
President of the Alumni Association Jennifer Daniels ’93 gave the opening remarks and focused on how the 2018 conference is pertinent in light of recent national events. Participants also shared their thoughts on how “She Roars” compares to other aspects of their Princeton experience, such as Reunions and the early years of coeducation.
“[We] are coming together at an important time in history when women are raising our voices and speaking out about important issues facing our country today,” Daniels said.
Daniels listed the esteemed positions that several alumnae hold, including the “highest court in the land,” hinting at one of this weekend’s most anticipated events, the Friday panel featuring Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor ’76 and Elena Kagan ’81.
Daniels also gave a glowing shoutout to Frances Arnold ’79, the “first, but certainly not the last Princeton alumna to receive a Nobel Prize, recognized just yesterday for her work in chemistry.” This comment, along with several of Daniels’s proclamations of pride in Princeton women, triggered blasts of applause from the audience.
The opening ceremony showed how, as alumnae gain prominence in the global public sphere, their role on Princeton’s campus continues to evolve, too.
Some of the alumnae recalled the early years of coeducation.
“It’s amazing because this bears very little resemblance to the Princeton that I knew in 1973 when I started,” Mary Nelson ‘77 said. “It was not a friendly place for women.”
Nelson recalled that in her college years, the small group of women on campus felt “pressured and insecure.” Professors and male peers openly disrespected female students, and women encountered a slew of challenges throughout their careers as students. Reflecting on the current moment, she exclaimed, “It’s fabulous that the university will do this for us, to bring us together to facilitate this kind of sisterhood,” Nelson said.
Lolita Buckner Inniss ’83 shared Nelson’s enthusiasm.
“I come to reunions almost every year,” she said, “but this is an entirely different kind of event. It is amazing to walk around and see all these wonderful, powerful Princeton women, and it makes me so proud to be part of this institution.”
Preparation for the 2018 conference began about a year ago with the start of a five-month series of alumnae focus groups.
According to Daniels, 774 alumnae attended the focus groups across the country, and 1,200 alumnae contributed ideas via survey.
The original “She Roars” conference held in 2011 was only attended by 1,300 alumni, whereas over 3,300 female and male alumni registered for this year’s conference. Alumnae from the United States, Canada, England, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, and Taiwan will be on campus representing women from every class since the start of coeducation in the fall of 1969.
The 5 p.m. opening remarks were live-streamed for those who could not attend the conference.
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