Empowering International Women

For Savitri Restrepo Alvarez, the idea of attending an all-women’s college was a new concept when she began her college search. She didn’t know of any institutions exclusively for women in her native Colombia, South America. But when an official representing Wellesley College visited her high school, Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, Restrepo Alvarez fell in love with pictures of the campus. She also was intrigued by the institution’s mission of empowering women.

“That mission to empower women who will make a difference definitely impressed me,” says Restrepo Alvarez, a senior majoring in international relations-political science with a minor in Chinese language and literature. “I think Wellesley attracts women who are interested in prioritizing self-growth and very focused on the development of their intellectual capacities.”

When she first arrived at Wellesley four years ago, Restrepo Alvarez struggled to adapt. But as she participated in classroom discussions and became involved in campus activities, she began to feel at home. A 2016 fellow of the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs Winter Session and recent intern at the Clinton Foundation, Restrepo Alvarez is grateful for the opportunities Wellesley has provided to expand her knowledge and develop leadership skills.

“I really started to like being at Wellesley when I saw myself pushing further and started meeting amazing women,” says Restrepo Alvarez, who recently was selected for the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars—a program established by Blackstone Group cofounder Stephen Schwarzman that will give her the opportunity to live