In 2019, the American Cities Program was named in honor of Sama Mundlay ’20 as a tribute to her passion for women’s rights and grassroots advocacy. Sama’s internship at the Women’s Foundation of California was a transformative experience, allowing her be an agent for change and justice. Sama spent her early years in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam before moving back to Mumbai, India. At Wellesley, she was an active member of the Zeta Alpha Society, where she served as Literary and Tea Chair. She was a writer and artist. Additionally, Sama worked actively as a Sexual Health Educator (SHE) on campus to raise awareness about reproductive rights, a topic she passionately championed. She believed in a future without gender and sex-based discrimination, and she wanted to cultivate genuine, progressive dialogue at Wellesley, in India, and beyond. In a 2016 essay published on Medium, she sang the praises of women’s education. “The strongest case for women's colleges,” she wrote, “is that they allow more resistance to that nagging inner voice, the one that coaxes the docile, unconfident woman your culture wants you to be.”

Sama inspired her friends and peers to pursue their academic endeavors with a critical lens and always knew the right questions to ask. She brought her passion to every classroom and conversation. She is deeply missed by her friends and family and her absence will forever be felt by her class of Albright Fellows and the greater Wellesley community.

We had the great privilege of hosting Sama Mundlay as a summer intern at the Women’s Foundation of California during the summer of 2018. In the short time she was with us, Sama had a profound impact on our team. She was a joy to with with, passionate about her commitment to gender justice, brought genuine curiosity to her work, and made significant contributions in supporting our policy training work by documenting all the policy projects of our Women’s Policy Institute which will be a resource that will live on for years and decades to come. Sama left a legacy and an imprint on all of us and we will be forever grateful that we had the opportunity to welcome her to be part of the Women's Foundation of California community.

—Surina Khan, CEO, Women’s Foundation of California

In her time at Wellesley, Sama’s enthusiasm for improving the lives of women and girls, her intellectual drive, and her contagious joy touched many lives. I had the privilege of teaching Sama in two courses and mentoring her as she sought internships and other opportunities. In Intro to Women’s and Gender Studies her first semester at Wellesley,  Sama found her passion in the study of reproductive justice and human rights and it transformed her. In the spring of 2018 when Sama took my course in Politics and Sexuality, it was like watching a fast-forwarded film of someone whose political and personal journey was accelerating week by week. She embraced intellectual challenges with rigor and joy She was dauntless in her conviction that feminism would improve the world and her conviction was inspiring. We were witnessing the emergence of a leader in real time. Sama’s legacy inspires us to emulate her commitment to learn, to grow to serve, and to lead.

—Leigh Gilmore, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Women’s & Gender Studies