Emerson in the Community
J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge
Mary Higgins (Government and Community Relations), Sandra Gonzalez (Academic Affairs), Melanie Matson (Violence Prevention and Response), Samantha Starkey (Registrar’s Office), Nadia Yassa (Institutional Advancement), Katie McLaughlin (General Counsel Office), Damon Krometis (Performing Arts), Garrett Herzig (Office of the Arts), Matthew Harrington (Office of the Arts), and Paul Fleming (Office of the Arts) participated in the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Road Race on June 9. In its 40th year, the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series promotes health and camaraderie in the workplace while donating to local charities. Staff ran the 3.5 mile course in the Back Bay with proceeds benefitting City Year Boston.
Mary Higgins (Government and Community Relations)
Boston Pride Parade
For the second year in a row, Emerson community members marched in the Boston Pride Parade. This year, 60 staff, faculty, students, alumni, family, and friends registered to represent Emerson College and show our pride and support for the LGBTQ community. The weather was not exactly ideal on June 11, but we made it through the cool temperatures and rain as a group. While some groups decided to leave the parade due to the delay in start and the weather, every member of our marching contingent proudly waited it out so that we would have another strong representation among the other 11 colleges that were marching before and after us.
Though we started in the rain, within 15–20 minutes of marching, the rain had subsided and we were able to really get into the Pride spirit. On the parade route, we handed out Emerson College hand fans that were marked with the Emerson Lion on one side and the contact information for Undergraduate and Graduate Admission, Human Resources, and Diversity and Inclusion on the other side. The spectators were thrilled to get these, and it was a great way to get the Emerson College name out to the community as a great place to study and work.
Eric Glaskin (Financial Aid)
Boston Dragon Boat Festival
Emerson College competed in Boston’s Dragon Boat Festival for the seventh year in a row on June 12. While the Lions didn’t bring home any medals this year, they achieved their goals of bringing people together to learn about and celebrate different cultures, in keeping with Emerson’s focus on international outreach and civic engagement.
The Boston Dragon Boat Festival is one of the largest Asian cultural festivals in New England, drawing thousands of spectators, artists, performers, and vendors each year. Sixty-eight teams competed in this year’s races.
The festival also gives the Emerson community an opportunity to develop a diverse team with real camaraderie. Cynthia Miller, faculty member and paddler, said, “Each year, I’m so excited for the opportunity to represent Emerson in the Dragon Boat Festival! It gives me the opportunity to pull together with other Emersonians and alums I’d never otherwise meet to do something unique in the wider community; we stretch our abilities, we push hard, we have fun, and we build relationships. It doesn’t hurt that we get to paddle our hearts out on the Charles, either!”
The 2016 Emerson Lions Team:
Laurie Arnone, Micha Broadnax, Kate Caldwell, Xiaoran Chen, Sandy Gonzalez, Yuting He, Jessica Hearne, Nicole Kempster, Lucille McCormick, Cynthia Miller, Janna Richards, Yvonne Ting, Maureen Tripp, Pooja Usgaonakar, Xinxin Yang, Christina Zamon, Lichen Zhang, Peng Zhang
Maureen Tripp (Iwasaki Library)