Every year, Smith holds The Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs for undergraduate women to share their novel ideas and business models, as well as to connect themselves with other women entrepreneurs. Originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa, Hawa Tarawally is a Social Impact Winner and Fan Favorite prize winner in the Draper competition of 2019. The Sophian invited her for an interview to talk about her project in the Draper competition and her advice for future Draper participants.
Posts published in “Features”
María Isabel was ten years old when her visitor’s visa to the United States expired. She was brought here at age four with her parents and older sister in search of better opportunities, much like previous generations of immigrants that have reached the United States since its formation. Today she is proudly a first generation Smithie.
When she flew back to her hometown of Wuhan, China on the last day of 2019, she thought she had her spring semester all figured out.
This year, a federally-funded research project at the Jandon Center for Community Engagement will launch a number of community-based initiatives to support young adults in Springfield.
How does one begin to describe the awesomeness that is Sarah Maclean? She’s the bestselling author of more than a dozen delightfully written historical romances, one half of the fabulous duo behind the “Fated Mates” podcast, romance columnist for the Washington Post and probably the fiercest advocate for the romance genre you’ll ever come across. Oh, and did we mention she’s a Smithie?
Karelia Stetz-Waters ‘99J, a former Duckett resident and current community college professor, is a romance writer who writes happy endings for women in love. She balances her full-time job with her writing career and works to spread awareness of “cliteracy,” with the goal of using her writing as a way to teach people about female sexual pleasure...
“Sometimes people look at me and are like ‘uhh, are you queer?’” Emma Livingston ’20 said, cocking her head to the side and mimicking their…
Sylvie Fox ‘93 is a USA Today Bestselling author of “smart fiction for smart women.” Known for writing sexy contemporary romance and legal thrillers, Fox is a Smith alum worth knowing about. Since her time at Smith she’s lived in Brooklyn, Cleveland, Budapest, and Los Angeles practicing law, writing for various small newspapers, and writing her own fiction. Her work includes the L.A. Nights series, the Casey Cort Series (under the pen name Aime Austin), The Good Enough Husband, The Secret Widow, and many others. I was able to catch up with her to discuss her time at Smith, her writing career, and how these two experiences intersect.
Shannon O’Brien, a member of Smith class of 2013 who majored in theatre, published her debut book “Sing Me Home” in the fall of 2016. After her graduation, Shannon O’Brien pursued her theatre career while practicing writing as a hobby. The book “Sing Me Home,” a lesbian romance novel, sets the story background in a New England women’s college. Shannon O’Brien shared with The Sophian her inspirations, behind-the-scene stories of the book, and advice for Smithies who also want to write in the future.
A blustery snowstorm arrived in Northampton on the heels of Thanksgiving Break, covering the Smith campus in a blanket of white. The appearance of snow people on Chapin Lawn and the Grecourt Gates adorned with lights shows that Smith is getting into the spirit of the season. To find out what Smithies of the past did to celebrate this wonderful time of year, I took a dive into the Smith Archives. Some of the traditions we celebrate today — events like Winter Weekend and Vespers — have deep roots in Smith history, going back more than one hundred years.