spring 2012 columbia college women

COVER ARTICLEFather and Daughter: Same College,Different ExperiencesSome of my earliest memories include Columbia: a Columbia pennantabove my childhood bed and tiny Columbia plates to hold snacks. Myfather, Rolando T. Acosta, CC ‘79, Law ‘82, took me to visit campusand regaled me with stories. As a boy from the Bronx, by way ofSantiago, Dominican Republic, he told stories that depicted Columbiaas the doorway through which dreams came true and opportunitiesabounded. My father’s wish was for me to have the same amazingcollege experience. So, from an early age, I was set on Columbia.Naturally, I had assumed some things had changed from my father’stime there 30 years before, but I was shocked by just how much.Registration was one such change. When my father offered to bringcoffee to the registration line, I quizzically thanked him and informedhim that I had 10 minutes to get online. He panicked and offered todrive me to campus immediately, as I sat confused with my laptopawaiting my appointment. It dawned on me that my father meant aphysical line. Apparently, in his day, students lined up to register atobscene hours. Technology has certainly changed things.Many of my father’s experiences were greatly influenced by his life asa student-athlete and by the fact his was one of the last classes beforePHOTO: L. BrumbergColumbia went co-ed. I attended a co-ed Columbia and I was not anathlete. My Columbia allowed me a different dynamic in the classroom to his, with a greater variety of worldviewsand opinions.While my experience overall was different from my father’s, my time at Columbia was just as memorable. I learned,grew as a person, and was exposed to people with unique perspectives and experiences. Like him, I will never forgetmy time at Columbia; it changed me forever.— Zila Acosta, CC ’1114Scholarship Winner 2012Biography & Photo: Courtesy ofNicole DelgadilloNicole Delgadillo, CC ‘15, is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. A classicallytrained ballet dancer, Nicole has performed roles including the Sugar Plum Fairy in TheNutcracker, the Act I Pas de Trois from Swan Lake, the Summer Fairy in Cinderella andvariations from Paquita and La Fille Mal Gardee. She has studied with the Joffrey BalletSchool, Los Angeles Ballet and Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet. In addition to dance, Nicolehas studied classical voice and participated in her high school’s choral music programfor all four years, singing in the most advanced ensemble senior year and performingin the production of Fiddler on the Roof as “Tzeitel”. At Columbia, Nicole continues topursue dance as a potential major in addition to either psychology or Latin Americanstudies. She has been a mentor with Heights-to-Heights Mentoring last fall and a coteacherteaching English as a Second Language (ESL), an experience she has loved andhopes to do again next semester. Nicole hopes that her future career will allow her tocombine her passions for dance, psychology, and the Spanish language.The CCW Scholarship FundFACT SHEETABOUT CCWColumbia College Women was founded in 1989 to buildconnections among the emerging alumnae community ofthe college. The organization was created with the goal ofbuilding new opportunities and networks among alumnae andstudents.ABOUT THE CCW SCHOLARSHIPAs undergraduate students, many of us benefited from thegenerosity of alumni through scholarships that made attendingColumbia possible. For all of us, the diversity of our classmates’perspectives enriched our Columbia experiences.CCW is committed to building networks and support forcurrent students. Through the scholarship, CCW is furtheringthis commitment by providing support for high-achievingstudents with demonstrated financial need.The scholarship is a current-use scholarship, which is directedto a student for the upcoming academic year. We chosethis more immediate form of support rather than endowinga scholarship, which could involve a longer distributiontimetable, the possibility of administrative costs related tothe endowment, and more significant initial support. (We’lllet you know when we move to that level!) In order for onescholarship to be a success, CCW must raise $10,000 by theend of Columbia’s fiscal year (June 30, 2012). We aim toexpand the number of CCW scholarships and investigate othermethods of supporting students as we grow our developmentprocess and expertise.SCHOLARSHIP PARAMETERSDemonstrated financial need is the first guideline for anycurrent-use scholarship; this is determined by the forms thatall CC students are required to complete for any financial aidconsideration. Following consultations with the developmentstaff at the Columbia Fund, the CCW Scholarship Committeeset a broad set of parameters for selection – our guideline is astudent who demonstrates leadership and potential. We did sobecause more specific parameters can involve extensive legalvetting, which would result in costs that seemed inappropriateat this stage.CCW SCHOLARSHIPThe Columbia Fund staff collaborates with Columbia FinancialAid to identify and match students with the scholarship thatbest fits their experience, interests, and on-campus work. Aswith all current-use scholarship providers, CCW relies on theexperience and insight of a Columbia Fund liaison to insurethat our awardee matches the articulated parameters and,when possible, also fits the ‘intangibles’ that embody ourorganization.SPECIFICS ABOUT SUPPORTINGWe are well along in our fundraising, but we have by no meansreached our $10,000 goal. Our deadline is June 30, 2012.Please help us get across the finish line by making a donationtoday. Donations to the scholarship are tax-deductible, andyour support is deeply appreciated!Please consider:• supporting the scholarship with a pledge (donation formsavailable today);• spreading the word about CCW, and the scholarship, tofriends; and/or• joining the CCW Scholarship Committee.We offer the option of donating in monthly or quarterlyinstallments over the year, charged to a credit card. FounderLevel giving is determined by graduation year (for CC’10-‘06,it is $250/year; for CC’05-‘01, it is $500/year; for CC’00-‘95, itis $1,000; and for CC’94 and earlier, it is $1500/year).THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEEThe CCW Scholarship Committee is comprised of a diverseset of Columbia alumnae. Our graduation years range from1991 to 2011; we majored in everything from Philosophyto Economics, and our careers reflect that variety. We meetmonthly in Manhattan and would love to have you join us inthis work!For further information, please contact:Siheun Song, CC’07 at siheun.song@gmail.com -or-Michelle Wang, CC’00 at mtw13@columbia.edu15