Please meet the founding members of our internal Creating Connections Committee: Amanda Chudnow, Tessa Bailey-Findley, Lauren Doberstein, Gracie Harrington, and Pamela Johnson. The Creating Connections Committee, or CCC, was founded after Bryn Mawr College staffers were required to work from home at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

This likely sounds familiar to you, but once the pandemic began Alumnae/i Relations & Development found itself unexpectedly thrust into a new world feeling anxious and isolated. We were linked together through video conferences, phone calls, and email, but it is simply not the same as the organic daily interactions that occur in a work setting.

The CCC sought to re-connect the staff of Alumnae/i Relations & Development division by hosting synchronous and asynchronous activities that were NOT work related. Popular events included, but were not limited to: sharing pet photos, sharing childhood memories, an evening of Zoom mixology lessons, remote scavenger hunts, and Bryn Mawr ghost stories. 

The committee members had modest hopes that at least a few colleagues would participate in their programming. In an amazing display of unity, every single member of our nearly 40-person team participated in the activities they provided (and continue to provide now that we have returned to in-person work). 

Please join me in giving the members of the CCC a hearty Anassa Kata for their human-first approach to working remotely! We are so proud of and grateful for their devotion to sharing joyful experiences against a tide of uncertainty.