Alumnae Awards

The Distinguished Alumna Award is given to an alumna who embodies the highest ideal of the school through her professional or volunteer commitments. Leadership, a humanistic spirit, creativity, community involvement and professional achievement are among the qualities to be considered.

Jennifer Kalish, '94, is a physician-scientist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating from Bryn Mawr, she received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University with honors in Chemistry and Physics and then completed an MD PhD at Yale University. From there she moved to Philadelphia where she completed her residency and a fellowship in Pediatrics and Genetics. Jenn is interested in rare genetic syndromes, and is the national expert in Beckwith-Wiedemann [weed-a-min] Syndrome, a cancer predisposition syndrome, meaning that children with this syndrome are more likely to develop cancer. She divides her professional time between seeing patients and her scientific research and trains future physicians and scientists. Her scientific research focuses largely on why these children develop cancer and more generally, why anyone develops cancer. In her free time, Jenn enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters (the oldest is heading to college in the fall and the youngest is a rising sophomore at an all-girls school that is quite reminiscent of Bryn Mawr).

 

 

The Senior Alumna Award goes to an alumna who graduated 50 or more years ago and who has made a significant contribution to the community as a dedicated volunteer or as a career professional.

The Young Alumnae Award is given to an alumna who has graduated within the last 15 years who has distinguished herself in the community or in her profession.

Jay Greene ’09 was an ice hockey captain and art program fanatic here at Bryn Mawr. After graduating, she studied International Relations and Art at Bowdoin College. She started her career as a construction manager, overseeing site logistics and construction progress on high rise buildings in Boston. In this role, Jay fell in love with the ecosystem of the construction industry and decided to pursue her Masters in Architecture. At the University of Pennsylvania, Jay conducted a thesis developing a method for evaluating the construction safety risks embedded in architectural designs. Today, Jay referees between designers and contractors on behalf of arts and cultural institutions in New York City. She is currently overseeing the construction of a new pool, ice rink, and community Center for the Central Park Conservancy, which is the largest investment made in Central Park in sixty years. In this work, she is passionate about getting designers and contractors to see eye to eye, so that we can build more complex and beautiful buildings. Most importantly, she lives in Philadelphia where she is DIY renovating a little French Chateau with her girlfriend Lexi and their puppy Jasper.

The Anne Edmunds Croker Award, named in honor of alumna Anne Edmunds Croker, Class of 1958, is a surprise every year and it is given by the Association to an alumna whose dedication to the School and participation in volunteer activities has been exemplary.