Happy *almost* Fall, NorCal alums!
Like you we are eagerly awaiting the ringing of the bells to declare Mountain Day 2026. When President Holley makes her announcement we hope you will meet us at 18:37 (6:37p) at one of the following locations. Can’t make a day-of meet up? We have some scheduled Mountain Day Mini-Reunions for you in Oakland & Sacramento!
Keep an eye on our socials and the college’s website for updated location info and day of announcements. We will have a Mountain Day Hike on Saturday, October 3rd in Oakland.
Mountain Day 2026 when called by the college
📍Alameda
- Tucker’s Ice Cream with Susan Tom ‘98
📍San Francisco
- Bernal Heights – Mitchell’s Ice Cream with Leah Hellerstein ‘08
- Embarcadero – Humphry Slocomb in the Ferry Building – contact us to host 🙂
- Inner Sunset – San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery with Ariel Russ ‘13
SCHEDULED Mountain Day 2026
📍East Sacramento
- Thursday, Oct 1 at 6:37pm. Yume Gellato with Karen Holt ‘82. RSVP
📍Oakland (Uptown)
- Friday, Oct 2, 5:30p – 6:30p. Miharu Ice Cream with Tiffany McClain ‘01. RSVP
Upcoming Event Highlights: We have various events coming up that we hope you can join us for! Salsa in the City, Crafter-noon Circle, Networking Meet Up and more! Register here or scroll down for more information.
Upcoming Events
Salsa in the City
On Saturday, September 12, 2026 we hope you will join us in San Francisco for an evening of music, laughter and Salsa dancing! The event runs from 4p-10p and starts with salsa lessons. Arrive when you can. Entrance fee into The Ramp is $20. RSVP so we know how many to expect.
When: Sep 12, 2026 4:00 PM
Where: The Ramp Restaurant
Contact: Katie Wynen ‘05, co-hosted with Cynthia Diaz ‘06. (RSVP)
A “Craft-ernoon” Together
Bring your current craft project (knitting, crocheting, or other portable craft) for an afternoon together with fellow MHC crafters (alums & current students) at Catherine Dunford’s ‘79 home. Catherine’s house is located in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood and is easily reached by several Muni bus lines and only a mile from Glen Park BART, with a connecting bus. Parking is possible. Exact location will be provided to everyone who registers. Accessibility Note: The house has two flights of stairs. We will meet on the top floor of the house, and the bathroom is on the middle floor.
When: Sep 13, 2026 2:00 PM
Where: San Francisco – Bernal Heights (RSVP for address)
Contact: Catherine Dunford ’79
Presidio Pop Up (rescheduled)
Meet us on the Main Parade Lawn at the Presidio Pop Up on Sunday, September 20, 2026 for a relaxed, family friendly gathering on the green. Grab some food from the vendor of your choice, or pack your own lunch. Wear your MHC gear so we can find each other. Please RSVP so we can know how many to expect.
When: Sep 20, 2026 12:00 PM
Where: Main Parade Lawn (RSVP)
Contact: Leah Hellerstein ’08
MHC NorCal Book Club
Join your fellow alums in reading, discussing, and learning about books by authors of color! Our September book club pick, A Map is Only One Story, is the 2026 Common Read for Mount Holyoke College. A Map Is Only One Story is a compelling 2020 anthology of twenty personal essays exploring immigration, family, and the true meaning of home, edited by Nicole Chung and Mensah Demary.
We meet over Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 7:00 to 8:00 PM PT, and all alums are welcome. Visit our website to learn more, see the full list of book club picks, and register. No November meeting
When: Sep 23, 2026, Oct 28, 2026
Where: Zoom (Register for link)
Contact: Hannah Fairbanks ’03
Networking Meet-Up
No pressure, no formal agenda — just good people, great conversations, and an opportunity to grow our alum network together. Come connect. Come mingle. Come be part of the community! Bring beverages and snacks to share. All fields and career stages are welcome—come as you are and connect with fellow MHC community members.
When: Sep 26, 2026 2:00 PM
Where: Mission Dolores Park (Register for more info)
Contact: Jean Han ’87
Mountain Day Hike
Come celebrate the beloved Mountain Day tradition with an autumnal hike! Katia K ’17 will lead a hike at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland. If you haven’t been to this park, it’s a beautiful mix of scenic views and mystical redwood trees. We will do a three mile loop on a wide trail with a few hills. Please note that there is a parking lot, but it fills quickly. People typically park along Skyline Blvd when it overflows. If you’d like to carpool or get picked up from a Bart stop, please email the club at mountholyoke@gmail.com. Here is a preview of the trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/stream-trail-prince-trail-and-east-ridge-trail-loop
When: Oct 3, 2026 10:30 AM
Where: Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park (RSVP)
Contact: Katia K ‘17
7S Biotech Coffee & Chat – Fall ’26
Join us in Mission Bay for lively conversations that run the gamut of the lifecycle of a biotech career. We continue to dive further into AI with a first 7S Book Club discussion of “The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI,” a 2023 memoir by Stanford professor Fei-Fei Li. It would enhance the conversation if you read the book first, but a summary will be part of the discussion, so it’s not required. Any 7S alum with an interest in this topic is welcome to join, regardless of their connection to biotech. Feel free to extend this opportunity to alums who may be interested. Find us inside Blue Bottle Coffee, 1385 4th St San Francisco, CA 94158, we’ll have college pennants on the table.
When: Oct 4, 2026 11:00 AM
Where: Blue Bottle Coffee (RSVP)
Contact: Susan Tom ’98 with co-hosts Wen Zhang Barnard ‘25 & Yasmin Chandrasekher MHC ‘84
Alums of Color Happy Hour – Oakland
Join your fellow alums of color (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) for happy hour at Lucy Blue, a Black-woman-owned bar in Downtown Oakland. Happy Hour is 4p-6p. Arrive when you can, we will stay until 7p. Alums will be responsible for purchasing their own drinks and the club will contribute a few appetizers. Lucy Blue is located near the 19th Street BART station and is also accessible via various bus lines. Be sure to check out their menu and dress code.
When: Oct 15, 2026 4:00 PM
Contact: Katie W ’05
Alums of Color Happy Hour – San Francisco
Join your fellow alums of color (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) for happy hour at TBD location in San Francisco. Happy Hour is 4p-6p. Arrive when you can, we will stay until 7p. Alums will be responsible for purchasing their own drinks and the club will contribute a few appetizers.
When: Nov 19, 2026 4:00 PM
Where: TBD, (RSVP)
Contact: Katie W ’05
Are you interested in (co-)hosting an event for the MHC NorCal Club? Check out our website for more information about organizing an ad hoc or onetime event, which can be anything from a casual get-together to a more coordinated outing. We’re 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; check our website for more details.
Recent Events
❤️2026 Annual Meeting in San Francisco (June 13)
💛Napa Wine Tasting (June 20)
💙Spring/Summer Bio Tech in Emeryville (June 28)
💚WNBA: Golden State Valkyries vs Dallas Wings (Aug 17)
♥️Fog to Foliage : Admitted Students Send Off in Menlo Park (Aug 23)
💙and our Monthly Book Club!
Check out our website, Facebook or Instagram for photos from our recent events.
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/
