First, I’d like to thank you for agreeing to do this interview with HerCampus at Wellesley! Could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
My name is Lulu Chow Wang, Class of ’66. I am part of the purple class and majored in English. I am a naturalized American citizen, but my family came to the US from Shanghai when I was four. I lived in Claflin while I was a first year, and then spent the rest of my Wellesley years at Pomeroy, in the tower.
How did you come to choose Wellesley, and what were your initial thoughts during your first week on campus?
I chose to attend Wellesley because I wanted a top liberal arts education in a beautiful country setting, but near major metropolitan and cultural centers. During my first week at Wellesley, I strolled the campus and found not only the beauty of the lake, the graceful buildings, but also the warm community of intelligent, supportive fellow students. They happened to be all women, an almost incidental factor in my initial choice of Wellesley, but the best thing that ever happened to me!
Do you have a favorite spot on campus that you like to revisit?
Wellesley gives us the space to look outward and inward, and perhaps that’s why window seats in the dorms and in the Campus Center are among my favorite spots on campus. Nestled in one of these seats, I can look out at the world and think far beyond myself. At the same time, I can also curl up with a favorite puffy pillow and escape into myself – free to plumb my own thoughts, in the privacy that others respect.
What is your fondest memory from your time at Wellesley?
Some of my fondest memories of Wellesley were the times I spent with my fellow students and professors, challenged, but also supported by their curiosity, love of learning, and ambition to make the world a better place. This culture of learning and service, has been an integral part of my life from the first day I became a Wellesley woman.
What is the most valuable aspect of Wellesley College that has stayed with you since you’ve graduated?
This extraordinary sisterhood became a great source of strength, as we found common ambitions to make a difference in the world.
If you had to describe Wellesley in one word, which word would you pick?
If I had to describe Wellesley in one word, it would be “strong” – strong in spirit, in mind and in heart. Last week truly tested us, but like Wellesley women, we were strong and firmly resolved that we will continue to make the world a better place – and some day from the White House!
Lulu Chow Wang is one of the most influential women in the investment world. Speaker for the Class of 2016’s commencement during the early summer, she is the founder and current Chief Executive Officer at Tupelo Capital Management, L.L.C. If you would like to see her commencement speech, click here.