One of my best stories about the Wellesley Effect is about a student I interviewed for admissions. She was a remarkable young woman who was socioeconomically disadvantaged yet achieved so much with what little she had. Raised by a struggling single and immigrant mother who worked long hours, she did not have the advantages of many of the students I had interviewed. I loved her spirit, ambition, dreams, and most of all her drive. Initially she had emailed me to let me know she was wait-listed and her options for college did not look good because of financial issues. Later that month she called me to let me know that she was admitted to Wellesley with a generous financial aide package. Without this opportunity she would never had been able to attend college at all, not even the state university! I was thrilled beyond belief. We have kept in touch over the years and I often think about how her life and her family's life had been changed by Wellesley. She has since graduated and is completing graduate school with the goal of becoming a research scientist.
Sisters from Wellesley are invaluable. They help you paths you would have never taken.