Connecting multicultural alumni with Colgate, current students, and each other through fellowship and mentorship.

Veronica “Ronnie” McFall ’89 joined Colgate’s staff in April 2017, in the brand-new position of assistant director of alumni relations for affinity and identity programs.

Connecting people to resources

Throughout my career, I’ve always been one to try to help people realize that education is accessible to you; it’s a matter of how you go about getting it.

Access to education has always been paramount in my family. My father was the head custodian in an elementary school for 35 years. By him having the keys to everything, when the kids were on vacation, we had access — to the library, to computers.

Family: roots of learning

My father always said, learn as much as you can because nobody can take that from you. My mother instilled in us to not be afraid of the world, to be a part of the world, and to contribute to the world. My parents took us to The Bahamas every summer to stay in touch with our culture and our family. As a kid, I really got turned on by watching Sesame Street and The Electric Company, in particular, for teaching me basic Spanish words. I was like, “Wow, I’ve got to learn this language.” To me, culture and education go together, and that’s why I picked Spanish as my major.

Being the first person in my family to go to college was a big deal.

My husband, Maurice Willoughby, and I met on the Colgate-Vassar-Wesleyan study group in Spain (he went to Wesleyan). We have three kids. Vanessa’s a senior at Wellesley College. Evan is a freshman at Baruch College. Andrew is a high school senior. My sister, Kathleen McFall, is a member of the Colgate Class of ’92.

My job in a nutshell

I’m trying to build a bridge with alumni who are of different identities — multicultural, LGBTQ, international — and who may have felt challenged by their experience at Colgate. I’m always excited to learn about people’s lives after Colgate.

Being a first-generation American and college student, I shared the challenges of being at a school that was very different from my home environment, and having to learn — very quickly — how to navigate it in order to be successful.

I’m also sharing with multicultural alumni how things are changing. How we need their support and their voices to be added to the conversation so that Colgate can continue to develop and evolve.

I’m working to create opportunities to speak with and visit alumni. I am based in the metro New Jersey/New York area and visit alumni who are nearby. I also plan to visit and host events around the country.

Connecting alumni and students

The Mosaic initiative is our way of connecting multicultural students and alumni.
Students really want to hear alumni stories: How did you navigate Colgate when you were here? What resources did you take advantage of? Who helped you? What advice did you get?

There are really important things that alumni can do for current students: come back for career events to share their stories and to mentor them. They can provide opportunities for multicultural students to job shadow or come to their workplace on an immersion trip, or be an alumni admissions volunteer.

I attended the first Mosaic Weekend in March of 2017 and listened to panel discussions by multicultural alumni from the fields of education, business, and banking. They shared information about their careers and how Colgate prepared them for their chosen field. This was important for current students and alumni to hear; it makes one realize that if you are facing challenges while at Colgate, you do not have to struggle alone. There are alumni and resources available to provide guidance and help about careers and life after Colgate.

Connecting alumni with each other

We’ve got a great body of multicultural alumni who have had so many wonderful experiences. We want them to take advantage of Colgate’s professional networks, to come to events, to take part in panels.

We tend to be shy about our accomplishments, but I hope more multicultural alumni will send in class notes to the Scene about where Colgate has taken them.

Our Alumni of Color Facebook group is almost like a family — we share updates about our careers and what is happening on campus. If you’re not on it, please join it!

Working at Colgate, first time around

My first job after graduate school was serving as an admission officer at Colgate with responsibility for multicultural recruitment. I was also an RA with OUS for two summers.

I wanted to help young people realize that college was accessible. I also enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm for Colgate. It was exciting to watch students come to Colgate and take advantage of all the opportunities that were available to them.

Along the road back to Colgate

I worked for A Better Chance’s alumni relations department in New York City, doing outreach and helping students with their resumes. [ABC helps students of color gain access to top independent schools.]

It turns out, I had known ABC’s founder, Howard Jones ‘39, who worked in Colgate’s corporate and foundation relations department when I was a student worker. We would talk about things like access and equity. He had told me that he started ABC in his living room.

I also worked with opportunity programs at Siena College and Lehman College, and I was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mother at various points during my career.

“Extracurriculars”

I love to cook Bahamian food — pigeon peas and rice, especially.

I have been a producer and a reporter for local community TV.

I’ve written two children’s books. B is for the Bahamas takes my children on a visit to meet their cousin to learn about the country. N is for Nassau is about the island of New Providence.
I found that there was nothing for my kids to learn about their heritage. So, I did the research. It took me 12 years. I started by asking my mom and aunts questions. I visited libraries in Jacksonville, Fla., the Schomberg Library in Harlem, the National Archives of The Bahamas, and the copyright office in Washington, D.C. I got in touch with one of the foremost Bahamian historians, and one of my cousins, who is a professor at the University of the Bahamas. The books are being illustrated and will be self-published next year. They’re also being translated into Chinese and Spanish.

Experience highlights

  • MA in Bilingual and Bicultural Education, MEd in Curriculum and Instruction, Columbia University
  • Fluent in Spanish
  • Multicultural college admissions (Colgate, Siena, Bucknell)
  • Alumni and parent relations (A Better Chance, Kents Hill School)
  • College placement and guidance counselor (Road to College, Bronxville High School)
  • Fourth grade teacher (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Colgate involvements

  • Spanish major
  • Admission tour guide and senior interviewer
  • University Chorus
  • West Indian Student Association
  • Alumni admission volunteer