More than 125 Westridge School parents, trustees and alumnae gathered on April 27 at the University Club of Pasadena for a celebration of gratitude for this year’s leadership-level donors to the school. Each year, in addition to giving gifts to the school’s endowment and special funds or projects, donor support of the school’s annual giving campaign comprises more than 7% of the school’s operating budget. The evening’s program included remarks from board chair Valerie Rubio Lemmon of ’92, Head of School Andrea Kassar and trustee Don Morgan, and featured Westridge alumna Iyla Rossi of ’19, who will graduate from Caltech this year with a degree in computational and neural systems, as well as business, economics and management. Rossi will begin her Ph.D. program in the fall. “To me a girls’ school means a school that stands for empowering the trajectory of women’s educational progress through time and is therefore committed to gender equity in the fullest sense. It is also a place that cares deeply about each student and making sure the school fosters a deep sense of belonging for every student,” Kassar said. “I thank you all for your support in making this important work possible. The impact of your dedication is best seen in our students and alums and we are grateful.” Rossi spoke of how Westridge’s rocketry team influenced her decision to pursue engineering and its STEM courses, including physics, chemistry and research in science, provided strong preparation for Caltech coursework and a career in bioengineering. She also emphasized skills in leadership, collaboration and self-advocacy gained at Westridge. “One of Westridge mottos is ‘Be Your Best Bold Self,’ and I learned to embrace that mission statement over my five years there.”
EVENT PHOTOS | Photos by Staci Moraza
