Happy (almost) summer, NorCal alums! If you’re traveling this summer, we hope you have a safe and fun time. If you’re staying local, check out the array of events we have this June and July: theatre, a visit from the director of the MHC Art Museum, peach picking, and more!
We hope to see you at our Annual Meeting (a free, in-person event) on Saturday, Jun 14, 2025, in San Francisco at the Kaiser French Campus! Register here or scroll down for more information.
If you’re an alum who lives outside of the Bay Area, let the Club know if you’d like to be connected to a Regional Representative in your area or if you’re potentially interested in getting involved by hosting an event in an underrepresented region!
Past Event Highlights: Check out the end of this email for pictures from recent events — many thanks to our event hosts and attendees for helping us build community 3000 miles away from MoHome.
Upcoming Events
MHC NorCal Book Club @ Bay Area Book Festival
Join the NorCal Book Club in person as we attend the Bay Area Book Festival together on Sunday, 6/1. Hope to see you there for general literary discussion and possibly a meal or coffee in community with other Mount Holyoke alums!
More details & updates in the online group: mhcnorcalclub.org/bookclubsinvite
When: Jun 1, 2025
Where: Berkeley
Contact: Hannah Fairbanks ’03
The Sound of Music at Berkeley Playhouse
The MHC NorCal Club invites NorCal MHC and Seven Sisters / Siblings alums, as well as their family and friends to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Sound of Music and join us on June 7, 2025 at Berkeley Playhouse (BPH). Show starts at 7pm and has an estimated run time of 2 hours 30 minutes (including a 15-minute intermission). We have a block of seats in rows J&K and a special code for 25% off, so purchase your tickets via BPH to join us in watching the show! Kids are welcome, please be sure to check the website for more info about the show and if it’s age appropriate for your kid(s). 🎭 Be sure to check out additional show info & the audience guide.
💙 FOR MOUNT HOLYOKE ALUMS, there will be a potluck gathering prior to the show at the home of Sabina S. ’03 in Berkeley. Potluck begins at 5p. Home is .9 miles from Playhouse. Please register at mhcnorcalclub.org/bph25 if you plan to attend the potluck!
When: Jun 7, 2025
Where: Berkeley Playhouse
Contact: Katie Wynen ’05
Annual Meeting 2025
A gathering of alums and students where we recap the past year in NorCal events, membership, and finances; hold board elections; and network with each other. This year, we’ll be meeting at the Kaiser French Campus in San Francisco!
When: Jun 14, 2025
Where: Kaiser Pharmacy (RSVP here)
Contact: Mount Holyoke Club of Northern California
Private Art Tour & Coffee with Tricia Y. Paik
Florence Finch Abbott Director of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum
We hope you will join us for this meaningful opportunity to connect with alums over coffee and pastries, meet Tricia Y. Paik, the Florence Finch Abbott Director of your museum, and learn about contemporary art from leading dealer Catharine Clark and gallery director Anton Stuebner. (Catharine Clark Gallery represents artist Lenka Clayton who was featured in a 2021-22 solo exhibition at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum.)
Paik will also share how the Museum supports the College’s strategic plan, MHC Forward, plus the exciting plans underway for the Museum’s 150th anniversary in fall 2026!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, June 21st! Please register at mhcnorcalclub.org/mhcam25 by Monday, June 9th, to join us for this special opportunity.
When: Jun 21, 2025
Where: Catherine Clark Gallery (RSVP here)
Contact: Liz Kind ’82
Biotech Coffee
Join us in South San Francisco (“Birthplace of Biotech”) for lively conversations that run the gamut of the lifecycle of a biotech career: grad school applications, boom and bust of working at start-ups or blue chip pharma, and retirement planning. We’re not limited and no topic is off the table. Get under the hood of how to envision what’s next in your journey in biotech when you join us. This event is open to Seven Sister/Sibling alums.
We’ll meet at Cafe de Casa, a women-owned business woven into the biotech culture of SSF, and we are looking forward to making exciting new connections!
When: Jul 19, 2025
Where: Cafe De Casa (RSVP here)
Contact: Susan Tom ’98
MHC NorCal Book Club
Join your fellow alums in reading, discussing, and learning about books by authors of color! We meet over Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 7:00 to 8:00 PM PT, and all alums from the NorCal and Peninsula Clubs are welcome. Visit mhcnorcalclub.org/bookclub to learn more, see the full list of book club picks, and join the book club discussion!
When: May 28, 2025, Jun 25, 2025, Jul 23, 2025
Where: Zoom (Register for link)
Contact: Hannah Fairbanks ’03
Are you interested in hosting/co-hosting an event? Check out our website for more information about organizing an ad hoc or onetime event, which can range from a casual get-together to a more coordinated outing. The Club is able to support event leads with logistics, so no prior event planning experience is required! We’ve also helped alums promote their NorCal-based art exhibits, book signings, and more, so check our website for more details.
Save the Date
Peach Picking in Brentwood
From Wolfe Ranch Peaches (Farming in Brentwood, California since 1936): “We are open at 600 Eureka Ave with the following: U-Pick White Peaches, approx. mid-May through Early June. U-pick and pre-picked Suncrest peaches in early july, U-Pick and Pre-picked Fay Elberta Peaches in late July/early August.”
When: late July
Where: Wolfe Ranch Peaches (RSVP coming soon)
Contact: Eleanor Chang ’78
Fog-to-Foliage Committed Students Send-Off
An opportunity for alums (and current students in the area for the summer) to offer well wishes and last-minute advice to committed students before they set off for Massachusetts!
When: mid-August
Where: alum home in Peninsula / South Bay (RSVP coming soon)
Contact: MHC Club/ Peninsula
Recent Events
MHC NorCal Book Club: In Conversation with Tara Roberts ’91, March 2025
Dandelion Chocolate Factory Tour, March 2025.
Thanks to our tour guide Makala! Check out this folder for more pictures from the tour.
Additional thanks to Mila D. ’13, who ran a Digital Well-Being and AI Ethics Talk for Parents, Educators and Technologists on the same day. From the event host: “I got to re-meet several MHC Alameda neighbors, and a Wellesley attendee […] Of course, the conversation was so engaging, we forgot to take a photo of all of us 😁.” – Ann B. ’85
Pangy Day Admitted Students Reception, April 2025.
SF Chinatown Pop-Up Lunch, April 2025.
Oyster Point Marina Walk (with Seven Sisters/Siblings), May 2025.
Blue Sun Palace @ Roxie Theater, May 2025.
You made it to the end! Thanks for reading, we hope to see you at an upcoming event 🩵
Useful Links
- View our upcoming events → mhcnorcalclub.org/calendar/
- Connect with us on social media → mhcnorcalclub.org/social/
- Learn more about getting involved → mhcnorcalclub.org/volunteer/
- Donate or pay your dues → mhcnorcalclub.org/dues/
- Read about the Board and open positions → mhcnorcalclub.org/board/
- Find answers to frequently asked questions → mhcnorcalclub.org/faq/
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