Barnard Mother Proudly Attends Her Fifth Barnard Graduation

New York, NY July 29, 2002- Barnard strives to become a family for all its young women, but the Rubin family is a "Barnard family" all unto itself. As Talia Rubin graduated this May, a host of Barnard alumnae family members cheered her on. Evelyn Rubin, Talia’s mother, graduated from Barnard in 1969, and since then she has proudly attended the Barnard graduations of four of her daughters. "The graduation was beautiful. Each graduation has its own unique personality and spirit," exclaims Evelyn.

Though all five women attended Barnard, they are not all interested in similar fields. Michaela ’91 is an endocrinologist and a faculty member at Columbia medical school; Shulamit ’93 is a clinical psychologist and an associate in her mother’s psychology practice; Rena ’00 is a buyer at Sak’s Fifth Avenue; and Talia graduated this May with a major in Religion. Both Rena and Talia served as the student representative on Barnard’s Board of Trustees. The next sister in line, Sara, a high school senior, is attending Barnard’s Pre-College Summer Program, and Barnard will be her first choice when she applies to college this coming year. The extended family has ties to the University as well; Rubin’s sister -in-law and two of her nieces attended Barnard, and two of her brothers graduated from Columbia.

Certain characteristics of Barnard have remained the same, despite the 30-year gap between Evelyn’s college experience and her daughters’ years at Barnard. "The seriousness of intellectual life both in the classroom and in ‘the halls’, the emphasis on the life of the mind, and the belief that your opinions matter are all values that Barnard still promotes," says Evelyn. She’s glad that Barnard empowers women to believe that they can make a difference. Rubin herself often returns to Barnard to participate in programs and attend lectures. "The lectures are unbelievably stimulating, and sitting next to other alumnae is like being back in the classroom," says Evelyn happily. Rubin notices that her old Barnard friends and her daughters friends are similar: "they all have an interest and passion in life."

What has changed in 30 years? When Evelyn attended Barnard there were no women at Columbia. "It was very difficult to take classes at Columbia then," laments Evelyn. For her daughters it has been easy to take classes on both sides of the street. "Over the years, Barnard has asserted its independence while also becoming more integrated with Columbia. Barnard seems to have found a comfortable and equal place within the University now," Rubin notes.

Evelyn Rubin thinks she and her daughters have especially benefited from the nurturing aspect of Barnard. "It is so unlikely to find a school that is both intellectual and supportive, the way Barnard is," praises Rubin. "I really learned to think at Barnard; I learned to be a person. That is priceless," she beams.

Petra Tuomi 212-854-7907
Alieza Salzberg 212-854-2037