![Dr. Zanita Kelly, Director of Lower and Middle School, pictured above, and the rest of Westridge Administration were instrumental to providing Westridge faculty and staff the support they needed after the Eaton fire. "[Teachers] are part of the community," said Dr. Kelly. "Just like our families and students."](https://westridgespyglass.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/dr.-kellyyy-1-e1748143600809.png)
![Lacrosse had an incredible season, making it to the semifinals. Jeff Searock, the father of player Sophie S. '28 has gone to most games and said, "[The season has] been great. Great coaching, great players, kids have great attitude. You can't ask for much more."](https://westridgespyglass.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_3652-1200x900.jpeg)
On Saturday, March 7, I joined 300 Westridge alums in gathering on the ARC Patio for Westridge’s annual Alumnae Weekend, a homecoming and celebration of all things Westridge. Before the day of conversations, photos, and fun began, we enjoyed snacks on the patio, with a side of Westridge memorabilia.
As I meandered around the patio with my blueberry scone, I looked through photos and artifacts of Westridge years past, mostly featuring a celebration of the Class of ’76, in recognition of their 50th reunion. I was amazed by the similarities between students then and now as I browsed through photos of students celebrating the Olympics, participating in sports, and yes, even in dress-code-breaking outfits.
The biggest difference on campus today seems to be the required chorus class for lower school, which Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient Michelle Rengarajan campaigned for during her years at Westridge. Even years ago, students were involved with social justice, countless interests, and coming back to show support for their Westridge family. And honestly, I don’t know why I was surprised by this realization. After all, these are Westridge alums; the passion and kindness exuded by the amazing group should’ve been a given.
As I stepped up to the chair inside of Braun where I would be conversing with the two 2026 alums, Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient Michelle Rengarajan ’03 and Distinguished Young Alumna Award Recipient Grace Pai ’10, I felt so grateful for all of the faces smiling back at me from the filled room—all tigers returning to their former den, spreading cheer and kindness all along the way.
During our conversation, both Grace’s and Michelle’s passionate advocacy for topics they cared about deeply struck me as similar to my own. Even throughout different careers and focuses, with Michelle campaigning for further medical research on DMD, a grievous genetic disorder, and Grace fighting for both environmental and racial justice in Chicago, I saw how their time at Westridge helped them grow their voices, a lesson that I’m grateful to say has not been lost with the times.
As I conversed with the amazing alumnae, I also rediscovered connections that I found outside of Westridge—a reminder of how wide the Westridge community reaches. I spoke with a summer camp director I hadn’t seen in years, a woman I volunteer with regularly, celebrating her 50th reunion, and a few alumnae who were proud Spyglass writers and editors in their time at Westridge.
When I left campus, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy at the strong Westridge alumnae community that is only growing with time. Even as a visitor—and one who wasn’t an alum at that—peering into the collective alumnae group, there were only warm connections to be seen, old and new. Without the stress of academics to hound over me, I am insanely excited to return to our beloved Madeline Drive campus as a tiger for life, ready to embrace our fantastic, passionate, and connected community with all my heart.
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