Remarks by the AAVC President and Trustee

Sunday, May 25, 2025
by Monica Vachher ’77, AAVC President and AAVC Trustee

Thank you, President Bradley. This is a labor of love. Greetings to all of you, to the proud family and friends, our distinguished faculty, my wonderful colleagues on the Vassar board, and above all, greetings and congratulations to our almost newly minted alums, the extraordinary class of 2025!

This is a glorious day. We’re so proud of you, of your accomplishments, your values, and thrilled to share this momentous ceremony with you. Your undergraduate years have come to a close, maybe in a blink, maybe a long four years, but they’re ending, and now you are embarking upon life after Vassar. And all of you are separated at this moment not by six degrees, but by literally only one degree from entering this new zone of existence.

Yes, you will be leaving your classmates and your schoolmates who have thus far defined your Vassar community, but as of today, you are each an essential part of a dazzling community of over 42,000 Vassar alums. And each of you will bring added brilliance to it.

We are everywhere. We are doing everything. We are biologists and artists and mathematicians and social workers and financiers and lawyers and so many other things. And we are making a difference in whatever we choose to pursue. So many of our alums are notable and recognized around the world. You know who they are. And others are notable because of what they do day in and day out without any fanfare.

Whatever you choose to pursue, please know that our entire alum community is here to support you. And this community is especially important when you are venturing into the unknown—when times are unsettled or when times are happy and you just want to share that happiness. We are here.

You all will, of course, carry your own alum posse with you. Your friends from Vassar will be with you often for life, but you may also encounter the rest of us randomly in graduate school, in your workplace, during your fellowship, while traveling. Vassar swag of any sort leads to the best random encounters, so wear your sweatshirts or T-shirts, carry your bags. Or you may seek out Vassar alums, and I encourage you to do so, through your local Vassar clubs or on programs on campus or through LinkedIn. And I hope you will join the many other alums who are career mentors, who are involved with their classes, or the multitude of other ways in which alums continue to be engaged and contribute to Vassar with time, passion, and resources.

Vassar has been my special place since I first entered Main Gate. And what I have come to realize over the intervening years is that Vassar is not just a place, it’s almost a state of mind. There’s something about Vassar that imbues our psyches, that becomes a part of our very beings, that helps define us and connect us. Each of you, the Class of 2025, is a remarkable, talented, beautiful individual. And as Emily highlighted, you each have special skills and gifts that you express in myriad ways.

Every member of our alum community possesses similarly unique traits. None of us is alike, and yet when you meet someone and learn that they went to Vassar, it’s an, “Of course you went to Vassar,” moment because they have that ineffable Vassar quality.

All of you, and all of us alums, grew up at Vassar. We are inextricably connected. As you depart to make your distinct and distinctive impressions upon your world, I hope you will always find time to connect with Vassar and that you will cherish the special bond that ties us all together forevermore. Congratulations, and welcome to the Alumnae/i Association.