Swarthmore College Bulletin

05/18/2020

Looking for updates from the Swarthmore College Bulletin? Follow us through Swarthmore College or at bulletin.swarthmore.edu!

08/27/2019

Welcome to Swarthmore, Class of 2023! Check out our latest issue either online or on campus.

FeaturesSeeing Humanity Summer 2019In health-focused fields, an appreciation for art and culture, language and literature connects professionals to their patients—and one another.

08/14/2019

Designer Phil Stern ’84 won three Excellence Awards in the University & College Designers Association (UCDA) Design Competition for his work on the Winter Bulletin, Spring Bulletin, and The Global Bridge spread from the spring issue. Congratulations, Phil!

06/13/2019

Sue Levin ’85 is chief commercial officer at Bolt Threads, which is working to replace polyester with protein polymers made from renewable resources, and to design them using processes that are cleaner than what is currently used in the textile industry.

Sue Levin ’85's bioengineering efforts make apparel from proteins.

06/12/2019

“I thought it was worrying that [people with disabilities] were marginalized from society. That really, really got to me, and I just felt like I needed to do something about it. I’m someone who fights injustice.” —Efua Asibon ’16

Asibon came up with of the idea for the nonprofit she co-founded, Dislabelled, while still in high school.

06/06/2019

Your credit card statement can also be a political statement. That’s what social entrepreneur Mark Hanis ’04 hopes to prove. See how.

Mark Hanis ’04’s Progressive Shopper web extension reveals the political tendencies of online retailers. 

06/04/2019

“Ultimately, what motivates my work is the idea that providing education to underprivileged students is key to a democratic society.” —Juan Victor Fajardo ’09

A social change-maker, Fajardo knew when he was at Swarthmore that he wanted to one day return to Venezuela.

05/31/2019

“Both my education and my experience at Swarthmore gave me confidence when faced with something very new, something I’ve never done before. I have this confidence that no matter how hard it seems, I can probably learn it very quickly. It goes back to Swarthmore.”—Feng He ’03

A starter of startups, He wanted to see “more creativity, more ideas coming from a younger generation of Chinese.”

05/30/2019

How well do you know your alma mater? Give this the ol’ College try!

05/24/2019

Even as their post-College lives took different paths, seven friends stayed connected for six decades. Read about the "Holy Seven."

Even as their post-College lives took different paths, seven friends stayed connected.

05/23/2019

“It’s quite fascinating to visit a site in Namibia, and a year later you come back and see that there’s a very large solar farm that’s been built,” says Gunilla Nilsson '92. “My job is very Swarthmore.”

Unlike friends who went on campus tours, Nilsson picked Swarthmore out of a book of U.S. colleges.

04/26/2019

Jamey Clarke ’91 is melding music and physics to help children. How, you ask? Ukuleles.

Jamey Clarke ’91 is melding music and physics to help children learn.

04/25/2019

Check out these new books by Swarthmoreans at your local library!

New books by Swarthmoreans.

04/23/2019

How Swarthmore put a film career in focus for Watson Fellow Tiye Pulley ’19...

I never thought of myself as a filmmaker—until my culminated racial and political frustrations gave form to my first script, writes Tiye Pulley ’19.

04/18/2019

"Business is about interacting with people, thinking critically, being able to not stress too much under pressure. In many ways, Swarthmore formed me into the person I am today.” -Alexandra Papalexopoulou ’88

As strategic planning director for Titan, Papalexopoulou guided the company’s international expansion.

04/16/2019

John Derderian ’97 is helping shape the world’s most animated Netflix options from Japan! He recommends watching Aggretsuko, Devilman Crybaby, Violet Evergarden, and Castlevania.

From Japan, John Derderian ’97 is helping shape the world’s most animated Netflix options.

04/12/2019

The College’s new mobile-first website design includes more photos and videos, easier navigation, and numerous enhancements to increase accessibility and improve search capabilities.

Check it out: swarthmore.edu

The College’s new mobile-first website design includes enhancements to increase accessibility and improve search capabilities.

04/10/2019

"My wish for everyone in our extraordinary community of learners and doers is that we all find and cherish our restorative moments. Like the meaning behind Qhubeka’s name, let’s together be inspired to ‘move forward’ with curiosity, enthusiasm, and the intention to live in this moment.” - President Valerie Smith

Simple joys relieve the stress of everyday life, writes President Valerie Smith.

04/05/2019

Is there anything better than reading a book by a Swattie in nice weather? Check out some hot type from your local library!

New books by Swarthmoreans.

04/03/2019

“We see a lot of people at their worst and most stressed, so we nurses often take the brunt of their anger and frustrations. Getting people to see you as someone who is only trying to do what’s best for them can be difficult. I try my hardest to keep it all in perspective and to manage the things that are within my control—and recognize what isn’t—while still providing the best care possible.” Chastity Hopkins ’15, Nurse

Nursing is often ranked as the most trusted profession, which is something that comes to mind often on every shift.

03/28/2019

To explore the current migration moment, Swarthmore College Libraries and the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility will unveil a multivenue book arts show that begins tomorrow, March 29, at McCabe Library. It represents the culmination of a wide-ranging program: Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary (FPS), which features the creative voices of resettled Syrians and Iraqis now living in Philadelphia.

Weaving the tale of today’s migration crisis with help from those living through it.

03/26/2019

“I’ve always been the maker, the person who cuts out, puts together, sews up, and finishes off the sails. When a sail is laid out on the floor for inspection, I can always recognize my own work from a pattern of stitching, the finishing touches on a corner, or some other idiosyncrasy.” Jake Graves ’70, Sailmaker

Although I’ve been a sailmaker for most of my career, in large part it has been a job like any other. 

03/22/2019

“So many intelligent, curious, cultured people can’t name a black artist,” says Zoe Whitley ’01. She worked on the exhibition “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power,” which opens at the The Broad in Los Angeles this Saturday, March 23. Check it out if you live in LA!

Zoe Whitley ’01 is passionate about sharing the questions art provokes.

03/19/2019

Swarthmore was just named a "voter friendly campus" largely because of the Get Out the Vote Committee's work! Read about Jacob Demree ’19 and Simran Singh ’19’s experiences on the committee.

These students served on Swarthmore’s Get Out the Vote committee.

03/15/2019

“Being at Swarthmore meant being in a demanding environment surrounded by good people with boundless curiosity, a tremendous work ethic, a love of teamwork, and a commitment to making a difference. That’s a good way to live life, and I sought a workplace where I could further hone those qualities myself.” - Paul Atwater ’95, Firefighter

Without Swarthmore, I would not be a firefighter.

03/14/2019

Our very own Swarthmore College Bulletin photographer, Laurence Kesterson, won First Place in the Social Video Category at the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) conference held in Iselin, N.J., last weekend! Congrats, Larry!

Swarthmore students Emma Mogavero ’20, Gabriel Contreras ’20, and Alex Kingsley ’20 get creative inspired by colors.