This year’s theme, “Taste the Money,” delved “into the complex relationship between Africa’s immense natural wealth and the long history of exploitation that plagued the continent.” Mamaland engaged with these ideas throughout the night, putting together an unforgettable, and quite frankly life-changing show. As Ashley Santana ’26 reflected, “It just felt like everyone was so present not only from the people that participated and made the show possible, but also the crowd.” The show featured a wide variety of performances, from poetry to dancing to the annual fashion show to an ethereal harp performance, ensuring there was something for everyone. 

This variety in performance was no accident. Organizers Angel Olubakin ’26 and Gloria Manhey ’26 were intentional about creating a program as diverse as the theme itself. Olubakin noted that “Because of our theme this year, we thought having a speech from a professor with knowledge on it would be fitting.” Professor Chipo Dendere’s speech quite literally brought everyone to their feet. She humorously and poignantly talked about the idea of money as power and the way that money allows us to take care of ourselves and those we love. She also called attention to the atrocities happening around the globe including in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — countries often overlooked in mainstream media. Throughout the night, WASA highlighted these two nations by asking the audience to raise awareness and donate to organizations like Save the Children. Dendere also encouraged students in the crowd to take advantage of all the wealth Wellesley has to offer and ended her speech with a set of affirmations she uses with her four-year-old daughter at home. Her words resonated deeply, and by the end of her speech, there was not a dry eye in the house. 

The event also featured a rousing performance by the Fever Dancers, who kept the energy going all the way through the final dance by WASA seniors sporting fantastic black and white outfits, with a DJ booth completing the vibe. The emcees, Lucy Alaeto ’26 and Stephanie Akuakolam ’26, played a crucial role in keeping the energy up with their witty banter and enthusiasm. As Santana ‘26 put it, “They kept everyone in it, and never did you fall out of it. You couldn’t even tell that time was passing outside of the fact that the curtains were opening and closing, there was no way of knowing.” 

Mamaland was a testament to WASA’s hard work and was an enriching experience for all. Olubakin ’26 noted that, “We hope every year Mamaland gets bigger and better.”

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Norah Catlin, Anabelle Meyers 

From Sept. 26 to 29, during the Actors of the London Stage’s three-night run of “Twelfth Night,” Alumnae Hall Auditorium was filled with plenty of laughs and “awwws” from audience members (including us!). For those unfamiliar with the play, “Twelfth Night” begins when a woman named Viola washes up on the shore of a kingdom called Illyria and pretends to be a boy named Cesario to get a job in the court of Count Orsino. Enlisted by him to woo the object of his affections, Olivia, trouble ensues when Viola falls for Orsino and Olivia falls for Cesario (aka Viola).  

In the production brought to Wellesley, the stage itself was quite sparse. There were no tricks of lighting and most notably, only five actors played all fourteen roles. Yet, the actors brought us a completely immersive experience with their skillful portrayal of each character. They adapted their body language and voice to each character so that the audience could tell who they were playing. Additionally they used props skillfully like flowers for the members of Count Orsino’s court or a dish towel for Maria. Shona Babayemi, who played both Olivia and her servant Maria, brought the enthusiastic romance and mischief. Olivia spoke with a low voice, but let her giddiness show when thinking about Cesario, her crush. Meanwhile, Babayemi used a brighter pitch when playing Maria because she was often working on her pranks on other characters. Meanwhile, Thuliswa Magwaza, who played Viola/Sebastian, brought emotion to the play through tears and her incredible vocals. Sarah Finigan, who took on the roles of Toby Belch and Antonio, was drunken aplomb and played a mean recorder. When playing Antonio she was a lot more serious and wore a single arm of tattoos. Meanwhile, when embodying Sir Toby, she completely switched in volume and mannerisms. She took swigs from the flask she held or drunkenly strode across the stage. Sam Jenkins-Shaw in his role of Orsino and Feste brought the royal air and the fool’s comedy to life. In one scene he toggled between the noble Orsino and the riddling Fool switching off between a rose in his shirt pocket and a clown nose on his face. It was these little touches for each character that brought the characters to life and allowed the audience to get lost in the magic of the theater. 

By the end of the play, we were cheering for Viola and her marriage to Orsino and Olivia’s marriage to Sebastian. We wondered at Antonio’s fate alone and revel in the final song of Feste during which each character joined in for the final verse. If we had any qualms about the production, it was this: we wished the actors had played up the complex feelings between Viola and Orsino to a greater degree –– specifically when Viola is dressed as Cesario. For most of the play Cesario/Viola is forced to be Orsino’s messenger to Olivia while hiding her own love for him. However, there are moments where it can be construed that Orsino reciprocates these feelings, but is trapped in a heteronormative society that pairs him with Olivia. However, in this production, the ambiguity and possible romance was not as played up as much as it could be. Therefore, it seemed like a surprise when Orsino so readily married Viola when he realized she was a woman. That way, it might have been less surprising when the two end up together. On the other hand, the love between Toby and Maria shone brightly throughout the play. They bantered with each other and gave each other loving glances as they planned out the pranks of the play. Of course, it’s Shakespeare: not everyone ends up happily married at curtain’s close. Malvolio, incredibly played by actor Hayden Wood, stole our hearts like no other characters were able to. 

Wood’s performance of Malvolio was unforgettable –– and perhaps a little too relatable. Wood brought comic relief through his multiple characters: Olivia’s steward named Malvolio who is a grump and a victim of multiple pranks by Sir Toby and Maria and Sir Andrew who is Sir Toby’s goofy benefactor.  The subject of ridicule due to his crush on Olivia (God forbid you’re an essential worker with a crush … ), Malvolio dons neon yellow mesh and swim trunks after receiving a fake love letter from Olivia. But who hasn’t done something ridiculous for love? Sir Andrew — Wood’s drunken and hilarious foil –– is rarely in on the joke either, but he certainly won our admiration with his silly one-liners and Fortnite-inspired dance moves. 

“Twelfth Night” presented by the lovely actors of the London Stage was a delight for Shakespeare and non-Shakespeare fans alike. We laughed, teared up and cheered for love –– at Wellesley and beyond. We can hardly wait for the thrilling season of theater ahead.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Ivy Buck, Norah Catlin

These swings are the result of a semester-long interdisciplinary project by Shreeya Lakkapragada ’26, and a story of inspiration, lots of yeses and collaboration. After learning that a friend at Lafayette College installed swings on her campus through a start-up, Lakkapragada wondered why Wellesley didn’t have more swings too. After a conversation with Dean Horton, her project began in earnest with the help of Dr. Suzanne Langridge, director of the Wellesley College Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative. It then evolved into an independent study with Professor Amy Banzaert in Engineering Studies, where Lakkapragada learned all about the history of swings, as well as the engineering and physics of it all. In addition, Lakkapragada also ended up designing an independent course about swings. 

Langridge remarked that “This project brings together all of the key aspects of the Paulson Initiative; interdisciplinary collaborations with students, faculty and staff, meaningful student research engaging the campus landscape, and creating a sense of belonging through engaging with nature (and play!)”

Grant Perodeau, one of Wellesley’s arborists alongside James Connors, echoed  Langridge’s sentiments: “It was great working on this project. It is always fun to work with people who show an interest in trees and the natural environment.” Each element of the swings was carefully considered from the trees they hang from, to the question of straps or nuts and bolts, to the psychological and ecological impacts of the swings. 

Just as this project reached across disciplines, the swings (and the trees themselves) reach across time and space. Lakkapragada noted that one of the trees “is an oak tree near the Science Center Mozart statue, and the other is an ash tree on Sev Green, which in fact, is also a class tree for the class of 1906. The ash tree is older than the college. It’s been here longer than 150 years, so it’s like seeing everything before the College fire.” Both Lakkapragada and Langridge noted that even the seats of the swings –– made with the help of Andrew Kemp in the woodshop –– have a story to tell. The fallen red cedar used for this element is over 100 years old, and its sister tree still stands at the ninth hole of the Wellesley golf course. 

All of the different people who worked on the project are wholly invested in its success. Lakkapragada described how “one day the straps became loose, because I think a lot of people were swinging on it, so the swing got tilted, and the next morning, everyone messaged. Everyone emailed everyone in the process, because they were like, ‘Oh my goodness, our swing needs to be fixed!’” 

The project itself is far from over. Lakkapragada hopes to continue to install more swings across campus and connect the project to her interests in psychology. Working with Professor Yoolim Kim in the Psychology Department and the Office of Student Wellness, she hopes to study the impact of the swings on well-being. Lakkapragada explained that most of the pre-existing research on swings analyzes children whose spatial geometry orientation benefits from swings. She wants to think about the people who will use these swings every day. How are their individual well-beings being improved? Are the swings helping people become more ecologically aware?

Lakkapragada most appreciated all the ways this project allowed her to learn about Wellesley and from so many different people. She remarked, “One of my biggest takeaways is the overall learning that happens most, first of all, at a place like Wellesley, but second, when you get more specific and make a project for Wellesley.”

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Ivy Buck, Norah Catlin