AAVC Young Alumnae/I Service Award Presentation

By Monica Vachher ’77, P’23 and Brian Farkas ’10

Monica: Thank you, President Bradley, and good afternoon. It is so wonderful to see you all here together on campus! I am Monica Vachher, Class of 1977, Vassar College Trustee and a Vice President of the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College, better known as the AAVC.

Brian: And I am Brian Farkas, Class of 2010, a Vassar College Trustee and also a Vice President of AAVC. We particularly want to extend a warm welcome to the Class of 2025. We are so glad you are here, and we are excited that we will have the opportunity to follow your journey as Vassar students over the next four years.

Monica: And to the Class of 2022, who are wearing your caps and gowns for the first time as you begin your senior year: Next May, you will become Vassar’s newest graduates. When that happens, you will join nearly 40,000 Vassar alum worldwide. The AAVC looks forward to welcoming you to our ranks!

Brian: Each year, the AAVC Board selects a recent Vassar graduate to be presented with The AAVC Young Alumnae/i Achievement or Service Award, which is given to a graduate of the last 10 years for either extraordinary service to Vassar, or for exceptional personal and professional achievements that already have had a significant impact within their chosen field.

Monica: I am so pleased to announce that Marie Dugo Dilemani, Class of 2011, is this year’s honoree. Marie’s service to Vassar has been nothing short of extraordinary—since her days here as a student, and continuing ever since.

While she was still a student at Vassar, Marie served as the Reunion Intern in the Office of Alumnae/i Engagement for four years. By the time she was a senior, she seemed to be running Reunion as much as anyone.

But that was only the beginning. As an alumna, Marie immediately began volunteering for her class. As one classmate puts it, “She’s a consummate leader and always has been—quick witted and quick minded. When Marie’s at the helm, there is no problem that can’t be solved. But she’s not just brilliant and talented and oh so ‘together’—she’s FUN. Marie helped us build a reunion that took us all back to such an incredible time in our lives. She brings the love she feels for this special college to every Vassar event, committee and meeting and we are all the better for her!”

Perhaps even more significantly, Marie has served the Vassar Club of New York, better known as VCNY, in every capacity imaginable, from President to Reunion Chair. In particular, as one Vassar staffer comments, “As a graduate, she has elevated the Vassar Club of New York through her work as Programming Chair, helping to produce a wide variety and ever-increasing number of events to connect Vassar alum in the NYC area. Every time Vassar has asked Marie to do something, she has done it…and then some.”

Another staff member elaborates: “As chair of the VCNY program committee, Marie oversaw a group of nearly 20 other volunteers who regularly produced 2–3 programs every month. The quality (and quantity) of work was unparalleled; not just among other Vassar Clubs, but among ANY peer institution…She’s a rock star.”

Brian: And I know all this, because I’ve had the pleasure of working side by side with Marie Dugo Dilemani for a decade with VCNY. In that time, we’ve planned more galas, panel discussions, bar nights, lectures, walking tours, wine tastings, and book clubs than I could possibly count. I’ve seen her work with senior volunteers, junior volunteers, and peer volunteers. I’ve seen her work with event planners, caterers, and college presidents. I’ve seen her sit with exuberant alums, furious alums, and ambivalent alums. In each event and each interaction, Marie models professionalism, poise, and perfection. In situations that would stress or fatigue others, she’s unbothered. In moments when others might pass responsibilities off, she assumes more. Marie embodies tireless, full-bodied, full-throated, joyful advocacy for Vassar College.

There’s an old expression that excellence is not an act but a habit. In the decade since she graduated from Vassar, Marie has exhibited the habit of excellence. Time and again, she excels at any volunteer task to which she sets her mind. She has sky-high standards: No messy name-tags. No mediocre speakers. No cheese plates without careful aesthetic curation. She has too much respect for herself, and more importantly for Vassar, to allow anything that a Vassar Club does to fall short. When the Club, the volunteers, the staff, or the College fails to meet those exacting standards, Marie has no qualms about (respectfully) explaining that Vassar’s destiny is not mediocrity.

Monica: And it all shows. And it has a continuing impact on others—as we have heard from a variety of alums from different generations who have become active with the New York club. One comments, “Marie has a way of making everyone feel welcome. She bridges the gap between class years and brings so much light and energy to any room she enters, especially a Vassar Club event.” Another mentions her “ability to lead through adverse circumstances with humor, humility, and class,” while a third declares, “Her charm, positive energy and Vassar pride go unmatched.” Still another alum sums it all up by saying, “ A champion for Vassar College, Vassar Club of New York, Vassar Admissions—basically anything having to do with Vassar—Marie mentored eager volunteers like myself, empowering us to be leaders and encouraging us to be there for our fellow Vassar alums.”

Brian: Let’s face it: The job of volunteering isn’t easy. Your salary is zero dollars; you hear complaints and rarely praise; you face tricky politics; and you must balance it all against a full-time job and full-time life. But with all these pressures, Marie never falters. She is the consummate advocate for our complicated, messy, sacred institution. I’m proud to know her as a friend and colleague, and proud to partner with her for hopefully many decades to come. I don’t know a single person more deserving of our Young Alumnae/i Service Award.

Monica: On behalf of the AAVC, we are so very pleased to present the AAVC Young Alumnae/i Service Award to Marie Dugo Dilemani.