Abstract
This interview with members of the Brown University class of 1997 documents the undergraduate experiences of Kavita Bali, Kathryn King Crowley, Stephanie Malia Sylvester Hom, Rebecca Kellar Duke, and Danielle Solari Larouco.
The alumnae begin by sharing their current occupations and they move on to remember why they decided to attend Brown. Crowley, Kellar, and Larouco all recall being recruited to the ice hockey team by Margaret “Digit” Murphy and also loving their visit to campus. Hom similarly enjoyed her campus visit which was partially inspired by a high school teaching assistant who was attending Brown. Bali talks about her father’s experience at an orientation program at Brown that later led her to a summer program on campus.
The interviewees go on to remember some of their earliest memories of their time on campus. They discuss topics including first year housing and roommates, the Third World Transition Program, managing their workload, and building friendships. They delve deeper into discussing their extracurricular activities which included playing on the ice hockey, field hockey, and softball teams, as well as participating in the Brown Outdoor Club, the South Asian Student Association, and the Asian American Student Association.
In closing, the interviewees share their memories of graduation day and what they did shortly after. They also talk about their hopes for Brown’s future which include reinvigorating athletic programs, continuing to foster intellectual freedom and creativity, and continuing to offer the satisfactory/no credit option.
Recorded on May 9, 2022 via Zoom.
Interviewed by Amanda Knox, Pembroke Center Assistant Archivist
Suggested Chicago style citation: 25th Reunion, class of 1997. Interview. By Amanda Knox. Pembroke Center Oral History Project, Brown University. May 9, 2022.
Biography
Kavita Bali works for a small family foundation in New York. Kathryn King Crowley is the Jane Rattigan Head Women’s Hockey Coach at Boston College and played for the United States women’s hockey team in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 Olympic games. Stephanie Malia Hom is a faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She writes and lectures on modern Italy and the Mediterranean, mobility studies, colonialism and imperialism, migration and detention, and tourism history and practice. Rebecca Kellar-Duke works in hockey development and for Leafs TV. She was a member of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team from 1997-2010 and played in the 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010 Olympic games. Danielle Larouco is General Manager of Boston Pride, a professional women’s ice hockey team based in Boston, MA. She was a participant at the 1997 USA Olympic Development Camp from which the 1998 Olympic Women’s Hockey Team was selected. She then returned to Brown to serve as an Assistant Coach for the Bears for two seasons.
The Brown University class of 1997 was the last class to graduate under President Vartan Gregorian.