Scripps In Residence Program Kicks Off

By Sydney Sibelius '18
Staff Writer

Photo by Tyra Abraham '18

Photo by Tyra Abraham '18

The first ever Scripps in Residence program, hosted by Career Planning & Resources, kicked off with a student leadership dinner on Wed., Oct. 28 followed by the Scripps in Residence Panel, “Navigating Your Own Path.” The event brought five accomplished alumnae and parents to Scripps to share their success stories with, and to give advice to, current students. The guests were invited to share their individual journeys, as well as to mentor and inspire current Scripps students. The five alumnae and parents are renowned in their respective fields.

The Scripps in Residence program is a new, annual program at Scripps designed to provide students with first-hand information from alums on their experiences and success stories. The program is open to all students interested in participating to learn and acquire leadership skills. Alumnae are selected from a variety of fields, and students are given the ability to interact with them in hopes of learning from their journeys to success.

The event consisted of the dinner and panel on Wednesday, and was followed by fireside chats and lunchtime tables on Thursday. Students were also given the opportunity to sign up for individual meetings with the guests during various hours on Thursday.

Stacia Deutsch ‘90 is a New York Times Bestselling children’s book author. She is a ghostwriter for the Boxcar Children series and the Blast to the Past series. Deutsch presented her fireside chat on pursuing careers in writing and how to succeed after college as an author.

Valerie Haselton ‘92 is the Founder and Co-President of Sirens Media, a production company with a different lens. She is the executive producer of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Modern Dads. During her fireside chat, Haselton spoke on both how to pursue a career in TV and film, as well as how to pursue a creative passion for a career.

Christine Hickman is a parent of a recent 2015 Scripps graduate, and is a retired law professor as well as a community volunteer. She performs legal research focusing on multi-racial identity, and fights for access to STEM education. Hickman conversed with students on success strategies for first-generation students as well as for those pursuing careers in law during her fireside chat.

Lucinda Smith ‘88 is the Senior Vice President of Global Business Services at AGCO Corporation. She is a global business executive and a women’s network advocate. Smith spent her fireside chat discussing ways to leverage a liberal arts degree for success, and how to navigate the business field as a female.

The fifth attendant of the event was Tiombe Sewell Wallace ‘95, a psychotherapist and trainer. She is the owner of Tiombe MFT, Inc. and is the co-founder of Bridges to Healing, Inc. She focuses on feminist therapy, and is a diversity and oppression educator and activist. Sewell Wallace spoke in her fireside chat and at a lunchtime conversation on how to pursue a career in psychology, as well as how to build feminist, collective and inclusive leadership.

Sewell Wallace also gave a talk for the Humanities Institute while she was on campus on Thursday, Oct. 29. The presentation was titled “Feminist Therapy: Addressing Power, Trauma and Interpersonal Violence,” and explored the aftermath of sexual and intimate partner violence through the lens of survivors’ experiences.

The Scripps in Residence program provided Scripps students with the opportunity to gain insight into the journeys and lives of successful Scripps alumnae. The events allowed students to learn how to be strong women leaders both in general, and in regards to the specific fields of the speakers.