It's been over 130 years since McGill's first female students graduated with the class of 1888, but their excellence continues to inspire the work of the McGill Women's Alumnae Association (MWAA).
“This was a sisterhood of brilliant women, and we're their legacy,” says MWAA director Anelia Wright, DipPTh'57, BSc(P&OT)'58. Wright is a longtime McGill volunteer; she’s received the Distinguished Service Award from the McGill Alumni Association and the Alumni Award of Merit from the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. She derives “immense personal satisfaction” from her role with the MWAA, and considers it a family.
Wright remembers McGill appointing its first female Chancellor in 1991 (Gretta Chambers, BA'47, DLitt'01) and its first female Principal in 2002 (Heather Munroe-Blum, DSc'17). Those relatively recent milestones resonate deeply with the MWAA’s mission to promote McGill female graduates and their professional growth. “Women being able to obtain leadership roles is still relevant today. Always.”
Every woman who graduates from McGill is a member of the MWAA. It is run by volunteer directors, executives, and members-at-large. President Nicole Wilson, BSc’09, CertProfFrench’13, was motivated to get involved after graduation. “I wanted to give back to McGill and connect with women in some way. It’s allowed me to build really strong and deep relationships with women that I may not otherwise have crossed paths with.”
The MWAA’s Scholarship Fund provides around $60,000 annually in scholarships, bursaries, prizes and fellowships; in 2018 they provided support to 30 female students. They also host workshops, networking events and lectures; they celebrated their 130th anniversary by sponsoring the 2019 Beatty Lecture with legendary conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall. “We were approached with the idea of supporting the lecture and it was a resounding ‘yes’ amongst the board members because of who Jane Goodall is and what she represents for women,” says Wright. “She was a trailblazer, and that really aligns with the eight original trailblazing women who graduated from McGill.” McGill’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier, BSc'72, PhD'76, awarded Dr. Goodall an honorary Doctor of Science degree prior to the Lecture. The sold-out event took place during McGill’s Homecoming Celebration Weekend and coincided with the launch of Made by McGill: the Campaign for Our Third Century.
Although the MWAA’s events have traditionally been held in Montreal, their aim is to expand their geographical reach through a stronger online presence. “We want to create a community of women who are able to connect all over the world,” says Wilson.
The Association is always looking for volunteer speakers, board members and event organizers. For those who may be interested in participating, Wilson advises them to “do it – you will not be disappointed. You can be sitting in a room and you may all have different backgrounds and huge elements of diversity, but the one thing that connects everybody is that we all went to McGill.”