welcome-admissionsambassador-2016.jpg50 Stories for 50 Years: Introducing Dartmouth's Milestone Storytelling Project

Dartmouth alumni have been making their mark on the world since 1769. During the last five decades, countless Dartmouth alumni belonging to three extraordinary communities have left the Hanover Plain and gone into the world to achieve a diverse array of outstanding accomplishments.

This is a year of milestones. Dartmouth celebrates: 

  • Coeducation opening up undergraduate matriculation to women
  • The founding of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA)
  •  The Native American and Indigenous Studies Department (formerly the Native American Studies Program)

These Dartmouth communities have individuals with compelling stories—some you may know and many you’ve never heard. The goal of the 50 for 50 Storytelling Project is to bring attention to these communities by sharing stories from 50 different alumni, spanning 50 classes over the last 50 years. We searched for stories representing each of the three milestone communities to give attention and visibility to the amazing work they are doing in the world. 

The 50 for 50 Storytelling Project, a Limited-Series Podcast

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In celebration of our milestone anniversaries, Dartmouth is introducing the limited series podcast, The 50 for 50 Storytelling Project.

The 50 for 50 Storytelling Project podcast brings you several alumni from each milestone anniversary community to talk about their Dartmouth experience and careers. Host Jennifer Avellino ’89 interviews the alumni in this exciting new podcast. 

Guests include Dartmouth alumni innovators in:

  • The Arts
  • Professional sports
  • Supporting indigenous communities
  • Culinary arts
  • And more

You won't want to miss this exciting new platform for telling Dartmouth alumni stories. 

Listen to the Podcast


Karen Schudson

Alumni Profile: Karen Schudson ’72

In 1969, Karen Schudson (neé Rubin) faced a life-shaping choice. Should she spend a year abroad in Israel, or enroll in Dartmouth's new coeducational exchange program? her decision prepared her for a career as a marriage and family therapist, executive coach, and consultant. Read the profile.

Wanda Irving '75

Wanda Irving ’75 on Black Mothers and Healthcare Disparities

When Wanda Irving ’75 lost her daughter, she devoted her life’s work to highlighting and changing the maternal mortality risks that black women face. In her powerful TED Talk, she shares some startling statistics as well as her story of personal tragedy. Watch the video.

Tricia Winton D'83, T'89

Tricia Winton D’83, T’89 Talks with Tuck About ESG

In October, the the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth talked to Tricia Winton D’83, T’89, Global Head of ESG, Bain Capital, Global Head of ESG, Bain Capital about the vital role of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) in the finance world’s future. Read the article.

Wendin Smith

Wendin Smith '94 on Russia, Pollution, and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Wendin Smith ’94 was featured on The Syndcast podcast to talk about her work to help clean up one of Russia’s largest lakes. Hear from Wendin now.

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Lawyer Michael Green ’95 on Choices and Humanity

Mike Greene ’95 has said that we need to get away from thinking that everyone has to do and say the same things with their life. Hear him talk about this and more in a 2020 episode of the Human Lawyer podcast.

Alumni Profile: Emily Mulvoy Kornegay '99

Alumni Profile: Emily Mulvoy Kornegay ’99

When Michigan native Emily Mulvoy Kornegay ’99 entered the college she'd set her sights on when she was only about 10 years old, she expected to major in chemistry. But taking a course in government changed everything. For the past five years, as assistant CFO for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, she's managed HUD's $67 billion annual budget, overseeing strategic planning, customer experience, and performance management. Read the article here.

Alumni Profile: Geo Soctomah Neptune '10

Alumni Profile: Geo Soctomah Neptune ’10

Master basket maker, drag queen, model, activist, and educator Geo Soctomah Neptune is a Two-Spirit member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe from Indian Township, Maine, holding an Indigenous cultural, spiritual, and gender role that occupies a sacred space between masculine and feminine energies. Read the article here.

Leslie Embs Bradford 77

Alumni Profile: Leslie Embs Bradford ’77

In 1972, the year Dartmouth began matriculating women students, a high school senior from San Antonio, Texas happened to visit Hanover with her parents. Leslie Embs took one look at the Green, and decided, on the spot, to apply to Dartmouth and nowhere else. Read the article here.

Cameron Myler 92

Cameron Myler ’92 Is an Olympic Athlete and an Accomplished Artist

Four-time Olympian with the U.S. luge team Cameron Myler ’92 has talents beyond her exceptional athleticism. She was named Olympian Artist-in-Residence to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Read about her art and residency in this February 2022 article. Read the article here.

Michelle Duster '85

How Michelle Duster ’85 Worked to Get Black History Icon Ida B. Wells Honored with a Street Named in Chicago

Author, professor, and historian Michelle Duster ’85 knew that her in her hometown of Chicago, there were no downtown streets named after women or African Americans. But through her activism, the city named a street Ida B. Wells Drive after the famous women’s rights crusader and journalist—who is also Duster’s great-grandmother. Read the article here.

Echo Brown '06

Author Echo Brown ’06 Uses Her Experiences to Create Powerful Work

Echo Brown ’06 has published an impressive body of highly-acclaimed writing, including a one-woman show based on her life and the recently released novel The Chosen One, which is based on her time at Dartmouth. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine featured Echo in 2017. Read the article here.


Amanda Brown Lierman '07

Amanda Brown Lierman ’07 is a Rising Star in Today's Political Landscape

Amanda Brown Lierman ’07 worked as the Democratic National Committee's political and organizing director during the 2018 midterms and is a former national political director for Rock the Vote.  Now, she's the Executive Director at Supermajority and Supermajority Education Fund, which build women’s political power through efforts to inform, train and organize women across age, race and background. Amanda spoke with the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth about the first 100 days of the Biden presidency. Watch the video.


Apoorva Dixit '17

Apoorva Dixit ’17 Hosts a Riveting New Podcast

Currently a student at Duke law school, Apoorva Dixit ’17 hosts a new podcast They Knew Which Way to Run, which explores the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy in a seven-part series. Listen to episode one here


Karen Avenoso '88

Karen Avenoso ’88 Lived an Accomplished Life that Ended Too Soon

Class president, Rhodes Scholar, and a pioneer not only in raising the profile of feminism on campus in the mid-80s, but also an advocate for intellectualism, Karen went on to a high-profile career as a journalist at The New York Daily News and the Boston Globe. She tragically died of cancer not long after turning 31. In 1988, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine published her sharp critique of the intellectual climate at Dartmouth. Read the op-ed here.


Allie Levy '11

Allie Levy ’11 is Living Her Dream as a Bookstore Owner

After graduating from Dartmouth, Allie Levy ’11 had two dreams. The first was that she would pursue a career aligning with her English major, potentially in bookselling. The second was that she might one day come back to Hanover. Her successful Hanover bookstore, Still North Books, is the project that made it all come to fruition. The Dartmouth spoke with Allie about her business here.


Michael Hanitchak

Michael Hanitchak '73 Offers Reflections on the Founding of Dartmouth's Native American Studies Program

In 2013, Michael Hanitchak (Choctaw) '73 joined other Native alumni for a 40th-anniversary roundtable discussion about the founding of Dartmouth's Native American Program. Watch the panel discussion.


Leah Daughtry

Rev. Leah Daughtry ’84 Prides Herself on Bringing People Together Despite Political Differences

I am happy to be required to be neutral,” Daughtry said about America's political divide and her role as a peacemaker. Check out the rest of her fascinating profile from Dartmouth Alumni MagazineRead the article.


Amy Guan

Amy Guan ’20 Joins Forces with a Fellow Alumna to Help Essential Workers During the Pandemic

“I happened to start noticing a lot of news about how grocery delivery drivers are being mistreated — how they often lack protection, how they aren’t getting pay raises — and I thought this was a really huge problem.” Read the article.


Bianca Smith 12

Podcast Guest Spotlight: Keith Boykin ’87 Talks About his Work as an "Accidental Activist"

As a writer and editor at The Dartmouth, Boykin reported on campus protests, among other wide-ranging topics. And while attending Harvard Law School, he became "an accidental activist." He is now a well-known national political commentator, TV and film producer, and a New York Times bestselling author. Listen now.


Bianca Smith 12

Podcast Guest Spotlight: AlexAnna Salmon ’08 talks about her journey from Alaska to Dartmouth and beyond

Growing up in the village of Igiugig in the Bristol Bay region of southwestern Alaska, home to about 70 tribal members, Salmon was always the only student in her grade. She spent happy days at the feet of elders, soaking up language and traditions. Now, drawing on her many-faceted Dartmouth experience, she's documenting the history of her Native community and leading it into the future. Listen now.


Bianca Smith 12

Podcast Guest Spotlight: Bianca Smith ’12 Talks about Life, Baseball and Major League Aspirations

Less than a decade after graduating from Dartmouth, where she majored in sociology and played on the varsity softball and baseball club teams, Bianca Smith joined the Red Sox as a minor league coach—the first Black woman in history to reach that goal. But Smith refuses to see herself as a trailblazer, insisting that she's just doing what her parents, also Dartmouth grads, advised. "Find what you're passionate about, what makes you wake up in the morning," they told her." Listen now.


Selassie Atadika 98

Podcast Guest Spotlight: Selassie Atadika ’98 On the Power of Food and Global Connections

Selassie Atadika ’98 has two lifelong passions: world travel and food. She honed in on those passions at Dartmouth, majoring in geography modified with environmental studies—while always maintaining her lifelong love of food. After graduation, she became a globe-trotting, internationally acclaimed chef renowned for her plant-based African recipes. And spending a decade working for the United Nations, she became what she calls a "food ambassador." Listen now.


Ashie Bhandiwad 13

Ashie Bhandiwad ’13 On the Power of Lifelong Learning

Ashie Bhandiwad ’13 discusses how Dartmouth’s collaborative environment led her to find joy in teaching children about how exciting the tangibility of science can be. Hear from her in her own words in a video brought to you by INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories. Watch now.


Hon. Anne Murray Patterson 80

Hon. Anne Murray Patterson ’80 Reflects on a Distinguished Legal Career

Hon. Anne Murray Patterson ’80, a practitioner of law for almost 30 years, reflects on her career, recalling both the challenges and surprises that came with her chosen profession. Hear from her in her own words in a video brought to you by INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories. Check out her story.


Kery Davis 79

Kery Davis ’79 And His Exciting Path from Dartmouth to Howard University Athletic Director

Kery Davis ’79's journey from Dartmouth took him from a legal career to an exciting path in the world of athletics. In 2017, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine published a compelling feature about this alumni powerhouse. Read the article.


Olivia Goodwin pictured with a sticker that says 50 for 50

Podcast Guest Spotlight: Olivia Goodwin ’21

Olivia Goodwin ’21 came to Dartmouth as a pole vaulter, joined the women's track and field team, and majored in sociology. Determined to help other students feel affirmed and accepted as they explore their gender and sexuality, Goodwin served in leadership roles with Dartmouth's Office of Pluralism and Leadership, the Student Wellness Center, the Dartmouth Outing Club, and the Pride Committee. Listen on the 50 for 50 Storytelling Project podcast. 


Renowned Transplant Surgeon Robert Higgins ’81 is a True Pioneer in His Field

Dr. Robert Higgins ’81 has often been lauded as the first African-American to achieve many of his accomplishments. In 2017, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine included an inspirational feature about his critical life-saving work, his role as a pioneer, and the importance of paying it forward. Read the feature. 


Judge Beth Robinson ’86 is a Respected Jurist and LGBTQ+ Trailblazer

After serving as an associate justice on the Vermont Supreme Court, Judge Beth Robinson ’86 is the first out lesbian to serve on any federal court. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine published a feature about her work on the bench and her pivotal role in championing Vermont's historic same-sex marriage law. Read the article. 


Ashley Dean ’02 On How Her Dartmouth Experience Changed her World View

Ashley Dean ’02's experiences as an undergraduate at Dartmouth shaped the way she approaches life. Hear from her in her own words in a video brought to you by INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories. Watch now. 


How Carmen Lopez ’90 was Inspired by a Fellow Navajo Alumna

Growing up in the Navajo Nation, Carmen Lopez ’90 had never heard of the Ivy League when she became spellbound by a guest speaker at her high school: Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord ’79, the first female Navajo surgeon.  We spoke with Carmen for our 50 for 50 Podcast. Listen to her podcast episode. 


Former Solicitor of the Interior Department and Dartmouth Trustee Hilary Tompkins ’90 On Building a Strong Legacy

Dartmouth Trustee Hilary Tompkins ’90 has been a powerful changemaker in the political landscape and beyond. In 2017, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine published a compelling feature about her life and accomplishments. Read the feature. 


Victoria Li

Podcast Guest Spotlight: Meet Victoria Li ’16

When Victoria Li ’16 first left New York City for Hanover, she felt a little lost, missing her close-knit Asian-American family and their bustling restaurant. Inspired by her family’s love of food, she found comfort in serving falafel sandwiches from a campus food truck, founding a club that hosted food tastings on campus, and even washing dishes in the dining hall. Since graduation, Victoria's had some fascinating twists and turns in her rising career. Listen to the podcast


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INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories Presents Melanie Bowen ’93

Melanie Bowen ’93 has spent her lifetime asking questions. Read more about how Dartmouth challenged and changed her, instilling a sense of confidence and courage that has helped her achieve great things. Read her story, brought to you by INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories. Meet Melanie


Tiffany Harper 05

Tiffany Harper ’05 Is Passionate About Diversity

Tiffany Harper ’05 is the Strategy and Operations Lead at Twitter. Before that, she was the first deputy treasurer, chief of staff, and general counsel with the Chicago treasurer’s office. A Latin American and Caribbean studies major and attorney, she founded the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program to urge large law firms to hire more lawyers of color. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine spoke with Tiffany in 2020. Read more about Tiffany


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Writer and Internet Maven Rembert Browne ’09 Brings His Unmistakable Style to Everything He Does

Rembert Browne ’09 is a writer who is known for tackling everything from presidential elections to sports to pop culture with wit and insight. Now the Editorial Director at Twitter, Rembert continues to bring innovation and big ideas to the internet through words. In 2016, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine wrote a feature about Rembert and his rising career. Read the feature here. 


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Marsha Stephanie Blake ’96 is one of Hollywood's Brightest Rising Stars

Marsha Stephanie Blake ’96 is an acting powerhouse who has appeared on Broadway and in highly acclaimed television hits such as Orange is the New Black, This is Us, and How to Get Away with Murder. Her stirring performance in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2020, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine wrote a feature about Stephanie’s background, her time at Dartmouth, and her acting journey. Read the feature here


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Innovator and New York Times Bestselling Author William Kamkwamba ’14 Is Better Known as "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"

New York Times best-selling author William T. Kamkwamba ’14 is an inventor, engineer, and author. After facing famine and being forced to withdraw from school because his parents couldn’t pay the fees, William motivated himself to continue to learn, discover, and create on his own. At age 13, he built a wind turbine to help his drought-stricken village in his native Malawi. His innovation led to global recognition. In 2020, William participated in a live-stream conversation about the film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which tells his story. Check out the live-stream discussion here.


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Ricki Fairley ’78 Talks About Breast Cancer and Saving the Lives of Women of Color

Ricki Fairley ’78 thought she would never live to see her youngest daughter graduate. But she made it to that 2014 commencement and is still very much alive—and saving lives, as well. About a decade ago, Fairley was diagnosed with a lethal form of breast cancer that is particularly common among Black women—yet they tend to be excluded from experimental drug trials that could improve their chances of survival. Hear from Ricki herself on the 50 for 50 Podcast


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Odette A. Harris ’91 is a Neurosurgery Pioneer and a "Disruptor"

Odette A. Harris ’91 was the only Black woman in her medical school class, one of two women in her residency program, and is the second Black female professor of neurosurgery in the United States. She is a professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine; vice-chair of Diversity and deputy chief of staff, Rehabilitation at the VA Palo Alto; and director and principal investigator of the Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center. She is also a current member of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, elected in 2020. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine featured her life and career in 2021. Learn more about Odette’s impressive background. 


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Mateo Romero ’89 Talks About His Art and Preserving Indigenous Cultures

Acclaimed visual artist Mateo Romero ’89 is a member of the Cochiti Pueblo Tribe and now lives and works in New Mexico. Romero belongs to a large family of accomplished painters, photographers, and ceramists who are preserving, documenting, and celebrating Indigenous culture—as well as depicting the landscapes to which Native Americans feel spiritually connected. He talked with his friend and classmate, podcast host Jennifer Avellino, about the things that have profoundly influenced and emboldened his work. Listen to the episode.


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Jessica Metcalfe ’03 Takes to the TED Talk Stage to Discuss the Ethics of Native American Culture in Fashion

Jessica Metcalfe ’03, Turtle Mountain, Chippewa, is the founder and owner of Beyond Buckskin Boutique. In 2019 she gave a TED Talk about the tribal trends and Native American-inspired designs in the fashion industry. In this talk, Jessica shares ways to ensure that Native American culture is represented in an ethical way that avoids harmful exploitation and cultural appropriation. Watch her TED Talk. 


Mali Obomsawin

Mali Obomsawin ’18 in Kennedy Center: Arts Across America

Mali Obomsawin '18, an Abenaki musician and member of the acclaimed folk group Lula Wiles, performed in the virtual Kennedy Center: Arts Across America program featured by the HOP in 2020. The performance celebrates Indigenous and immigrant peoples' contributions to the Upper Valley and to the musical traditions these artists practice. See the performance. 


Sope Ogunyemi

Sope Ogunyemi ’01 on Cultivating Joy and Peace

Sope Ogunyemi ’01 reflected with the INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories project on her years at Dartmouth where she developed lifelong friendships and honed an approach to life challenges that she still employs today in solving problems. View her story


Alex Friedman

Alex Friedman ’04 Talks About Gratitude and Life

Alex Friedman ’04, founder of LOLA, muses with the INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories project about the defining moments of her life. Check out her story.


adrienne tee lotson

Adrienne "Tee" Lotson ’82 Tells a Breathtaking Story of a Chance Meeting with Nelson Mandela She'll Never Forget.

Adrienne "Tee" Lotson ’82 shared her fascinating story with the INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories project. Watch the video


tracey deer

Tracey Deer ’00 Gives us a Glimpse at Contemporary Indigenous Life On-Screen

Tracey Deer ’00, Mohawk, First Nation, Quebec, is a renowned filmmaker, screenwriter, and director. She is the creator of the show Mohawk Girls and the 2020 film Beans, a film telling the true story of the 1990 78-day standoff between two Mohawk communities and government forces in Quebec. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine spoke with her in 2021. Read her story


From Memorial Field to the College Football Hall of Fame: The Legendary Reginald Williams ’76

Reggie Williams ’76 was one of the best players in Big Green gridiron history. After Dartmouth, his talents took him from the NFL to the Disney C-suite, and finally to the College Football Hall of Fame. Revisit his talk with Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, where he discusses his challenges and triumphs on and off the field—including his harrowing journey to recovery after several injuries.  


“I had a community of artists and the Native community around me at Dartmouth.”

Artist Jordan Craig ’15 honed her skill and passion for art at Dartmouth. Since graduation, she’s received several prestigious fellowships around the globe. Now, she’s an artist-in-residence fellow at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM—the world’s only college dedicated to studying contemporary Native American art. Read about her in the March-April 2019 issue of Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.


David Bonga

David Bonga ’74: Member of the Founding Group of the Native American Program and Native American Studies 

Explore this compelling, first-hand account of the early days of the Native American Program at Dartmouth, where David Bonga ’74 was one of the very first students. Mary Donin interviewed David Bonga at Rauner Library in 2013 as a part of the Dartmouth College Oral Tradition Program. Listen to the interview or read the transcript


Kelly Caputo '10

How Kelly Caputo ’19 Navigated Dartmouth as a First-Generation College Student

At Dartmouth, Kelly Caputo ’19 was the Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant for the Management and Leadership Development Program (MLDP). Today, Kelly works as a manager in marketing & sales for a leading global commerce and digital cloud transformation company. Hear her story in her own words about the transitional struggles she experienced while navigating Dartmouth as a first-generation college student, brought to you by INSPIRE: Women of Dartmouth Stories.