Entering its eighth year as a biennial event, She Sails invited alumni and current students to campus on Saturday, April 26. Various lectures ranged from birdwatching, to social justice in the civic sphere, to creative movement in dance. In these conversations, alumni shared their professional advice, stories of their lives beyond Dana Hall, and memories of their Dana Hall experiences as students.
This year featured sports journalist Stephanie Apstein ’06 as the keynote speaker. Having written eight cover stories and covered 11 World Series and three Olympics, Ms. Apstein has built a successful career after her time at Dana. She has also twice won top honors from the Associated Press Sports Editors, and her work has been included in the Best American Sports Writing book series.
Filled with witty humor and valuable advice, Ms. Apstein’s speech highlighted the importance of believing in ourselves to pursue our passions. Paired with this sentiment, Ms. Apstein quoted author Ira Glass, “All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer.”
Partnered with Apstein’s speech, She Sails also showcased performances from Dana Hall’s fine arts department, including the Dance Repertoire Class and the Dana Hall Chamber Singers.
For many, She Sails offers a way to create lasting relationships across the broader Dana Hall community. According to the She Sails website, this event “creates connections among all Dana Hall women and provides a forum to learn from each other, share our stories, and encourage one another to be bold and dream big.”
Experiencing She Sails for the first time, Ella Stoll ‘25 helped promote the event to her classmates as a co-head of the STAR club, Dana Hall’s official alumni relations club. As she says, “She Sails is such an important event to the Dana Hall community. It allows for multigenerational connection as well as genuine fun and engaging activities for students and alumnae alike.”
Photo Credits: Adam Richins