Sherry Bellamy ’74

Managing Member at Bellamy Penn LLC

“Swarthmore sought me out. It aggressively looked for students of color and ability who could succeed and thrive in a rigorous academic atmosphere. To the College's great credit, however, it undertook its affirmative action in the same manner as it approaches all major efforts-with care and vigor in equal measure. Swarthmore sought to admit black students in numbers large enough to create a critical mass-not just to give us an opportunity to attend the institution but to ensure that we became a part of the institution. In contrast to so many colleges at which African American students felt alienated and discouraged, I felt at home at Swarthmore from the very first moment I stepped off the train and walked up Magill Walk. I know that my experience was not universal, but neither was it unique among my black classmates and those who followed us.”More