An enthusiastic group of alums from a range of class years spent a fun and informative evening in January with Dr. Carolyn Ash, Chapin’s Director of Equitable Practices, who talked with the co-chairs of ACAP (Alum Cultural Awareness Program), Jasmyne Pierre ’16 and Evelysse Vargas ’13, about Chapin’s ongoing DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) work. The lively, in-person gathering, to which all alums were invited, was the first time since 2020 that ACAP had been able to sponsor a gathering at 100 East End Avenue.
Dr. Ash, an accomplished educational leader, joined Chapin in 2022 from Colorado, where she served as the Senior Student Life Director for College Track, a college completion program supporting students from low-income communities. She also held roles as director of admission and financial aid at independent schools in Denver and the San Francisco Bay Area. She received a B.A. from Oberlin College, an M.A. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a doctorate in Educational Leadership, Management and Policy from Seton Hall University. Dr. Ash is also an active Colorado Academy alum and President of Oberlin’s Black Alumni Association.
In addition to mingling and catching up with one another, the attendees met Dr. Ash and learned about the key priorities for her role, which include “representing and championing the needs and voices of all Chapin students,” and “being in service to Chapin alums.” Dr. Ash answered questions on a variety of topics, concluding this warm and upbeat evening.
For more information about ACAP, please contact Jasmyne Pierre ’16 and Evelysse Vargas ’13 at alumnae@chapin.edu.