“My journey into medicine was not the easiest,” says Alexis Griffin Bonhomme ’15, a clinical research fellow in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She took her MCAT during her Wellesley end-of-semester exam week, got interview requests from two institutions, and was accepted to one—her state school, the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. After graduating, she moved back to the Boston area in 2019 to begin her OB-GYN residency at Tufts, and she wanted to help Wellesley students and alums who were interested in becoming doctors—in particular, those from groups that are underrepresented in medicine.
“I knew that I wanted to find a way to give back to a place that had already given so much to me,” says Griffin Bonhomme. With support from Megan Evans ’04, then the assistant director of the residency program at Tufts, she started offering Wellesley students a chance to shadow her at work. Since then, 53 students have shadowed her at Tufts and MGH, and she has also conducted mock interviews and reviewed personal statements for students and alums applying to medical school.
Now, what began as informal mentoring has turned into a formal role at the College: The Lulu Chow Wang ’66 Center for Career Education named Griffin Bonhomme Wellesley’s inaugural physician-in-residence. In this official capacity, this year Griffin Bonhomme has served as a guest speaker on campus, planned simulation labs for students, and connected them with her medical network. She is one of half a dozen alums joining the new Alum-in-Residence program, launched this fall.
“The program brings a more formalized structure to this process that was happening already,” says Destiny M. Barletta, Career Education’s director of alumnae connections. “It’s a more organized way for students to gain insights from experienced alums and build those professional connections.”
Career Education’s advising team includes dedicated staff members who work with students and alums to explore specific industry interests. The Alum-in-Residence program is a way for those advisors to layer the expertise of the alum network onto Career Education’s programming. Advisors identify areas where an alum’s field knowledge would benefit students, invite participants based on that need, and organize events and programs throughout the year to draw on the expertise of the various alums-in-residence.
“I think for a lot of students, it’s really great to see that, wow, this is who I could become if I keep working at it in the way that she did.”
Cindy Seltzer, Helen Wallace ’33 Director of Health Professions Advising
One such program is Upskill, a one-week, immersive learning opportunity offered annually in both January and May where students gain hands-on experience and build skills applicable to specific industries and fields. Students work with experts, practitioners, and trainers to apply what they’re learning to real world scenarios. In January, students in the Upskill software development lifecycle track had sessions with Michelle Ferreirae ’13, software engineer-in-residence. Michelle Caruso-Cabrera ’91, journalist-in-residence, developed and led the Upskill journalism track, connecting students with journalists and researchers while teaching the process for conducting interviews and producing their own video interviews. Beth Santos ’08, entrepreneur educator-in-residence, facilitated the one-week Upskill entrepreneurship track, introducing students to the startup ecosystem and establishing the foundation for the entrepreneurial mindset.
During the 2025–26 academic year, Career Education also partnered with three alums working in the technology sector to supplement Career Education staff’s advising with group sessions featuring the perspectives of alums currently working in this rapidly changing industry. Wendy Knox Everette ’99, information security officer-in-residence; Catherine Dodge ’04, product manager-in-residence; and Diana Eastman ’08, software engineer-in-residence, each hosted multiple virtual sessions where they gave advice and shared resources.
Christopher De La Cerda, Susan L. Wagner ’82 Director for Career Advising and Inclusive Excellence Initiatives, says it’s really valuable for students to “get the sort of insight and advice they really only can get from somebody actively working in a field.”
And not just anyone working in the field, but a Wellesley alum. To get premed experience, Millie Stone ’23, a history major, helped run pediatric neurology trials as a clinical research supervisor at Weill Cornell Medicine after Wellesley. Because the College offers lifetime support for career advancement (alums from any class year can reach out when they are changing fields, applying for fellowships and grants, preparing for job interviews, or need help with a cover letter or résumé), Stone contacted Career Education when she started the medical school application process. Through the Alum-in-Residence program, she connected with Griffin Bonhomme. Stone says doing a mock interview with an alum who has perspective from being a faculty member at a medical school was especially helpful: “She gave me targeted feedback that I was able to carry into future interviews.”
Cindy Seltzer, Helen Wallace ’33 Director of Health Professions Advising, says students and alums who meet with Griffin Bonhomme feel a special connection with her. They see someone who once had similar struggles at Wellesley and anxieties about going into medicine, and now “she’s obviously such a wonderful doctor,” says Seltzer. “I think for a lot of students, it’s really great to see that, wow, this is who I could become if I keep working at it in the way that she did.”
Career Education’s Business, Entrepreneurship, and Money Management (BEAM) initiative also had its own cohort of alums-in-residence this year: Suzanne Frey ’93, executive-in-residence; Vicky Tsai ’00, entrepreneur-in-residence; and Christine Keung ’14, rising-star-in-residence. Frey and Keung returned to campus for their advising sessions. They had lunch with BEAM students and answered questions about their winding, unusual career paths that marry business and technology.
“I find it really energizing to be here,” says Frey, who retired this month from her position as vice president and general manager of Google.
Frey entered the tech industry when it was still brand new. “I was one of the first Wellesley students to have an email account,” says Frey, who was also one of the first work-study students asked to staff the “faculty/staff computing help desk” (now the Library and Technology Services help desk) to assist with programming, internet resources, and database development.
Two decades later, when Keung was recruited by the then-startup Dropbox, there were still few women in the field, and, as a first-generation college student, she found it hard to describe her work to her parents. “I didn’t know how to explain ‘the cloud,’” says Keung.
Both Frey and Keung have encouraged alums to pursue work in tech through their Wellesley alumnae network connections. “One of the prouder things I’ve done as an alum was trying to build that pipeline into the tech industry, and then 10 years later, it does make me really happy to see that critical mass,” says Keung. “I want every student to feel fully equipped and empowered with everything they need to pursue whatever they set their mind to.” (Keung promises to meet for coffee with any Wellesley student who messages her on LinkedIn.)
Alums have been able to support current students and fellow alums through The Hive or by offering a Short Internship Project (SHIP), and Barletta says the Alum-in-Residence programs create another pathway for alums who are willing to be a resource.
Frey, who attended the College on a full scholarship, says when she got her financial aid letter she said to herself, “Wellesley, I am going to pay this back to you and more.” She has served on the College’s board of trustees and as a member of the Wellesley Business Leadership Council, and says her work as an alum-in-residence offers her another way to give back to her alma mater.
The Alum-in-Residence program also inspires students and recent graduates to join the network of supportive Wellesley alums who help their fellow alums. Stone, who is currently deciding where to attend medical school, says she is “taking the baton now,” having been matched through Career Education as a mentor to a younger alum who is just starting the medical school application process.
“Honestly, it’s kind of the best thing to come out of Wellesley and still have these resources,” Stone says.