Cathy Kowal and Janine O’Mara Kane are our new 50th Reunion Co-Chairs. Click on this post to learn more about them.
Cathy Kowal
I remember arriving as a February freshman to Abbey Hall almost as if it were yesterday (well…
almost!). I was so excited to come to Mount Holyoke and to be part of this remarkable community of
women — to learn, yes, but also to experience everything college life had to offer.
I became involved right away, joining the concert choir, the tennis team, and ski patrol. What I
experienced — and what I began to see in myself — was a growing sense of confidence and leadership. I
truly believe that Mount Holyoke helped shape these qualities, which I have carried with me throughout my career and my life.
From Mount Holyoke, I gained lifelong friendships, my closest confidants, and a place I still love
returning to — to reminisce, to reconnect, and to give thanks for all it has given me.
After Mount Holyoke, I attended medical school and completed my training in rheumatology. My career
eventually led me to Naples, Florida, where my husband, Ray, a radiologist, and I raised our two beautiful daughters, Gabrielle and Christina. Professionally, I have worked in private practice and have been fortunate to serve in leadership roles both locally and within statewide medical organizations. I truly believe that without Mount Holyoke, I would never have imagined — let alone achieved — many of these
opportunities.
I have come to every reunion, and I have loved them all. I am honored to be asked to co-chair our 50th
Reunion with Janine and, with your help, I look forward to making this reunion the best yet. So much has happened in the world over these past 50 years — both joyful and challenging. Let’s focus on the good, reconnect with one another, and celebrate how brightly we have each shined along the way.
Janine O’Mara Kane
It was years after graduation when a younger colleague, also a Mount Holyoke alumna, returned from a weekend on campus and said, with real joy, “I went back to the well.” That image has stayed with me ever since.
When I said goodbye to my mother in the Torrey Hall parking lot, tears streaming down my face, I had no idea how deeply Mount Holyoke would shape my life. I couldn’t have imagined the learning, the
confidence, or the extraordinary women whose creativity, compassion, and strength would become such a lasting presence — not just during those four years, but in all the ones that followed.
After graduation, I returned to New Jersey and began a career at Prudential — a path that unfolded
through opportunity, challenge, and more than a few unexpected turns. Along the way, I built a life with
my husband, raised two daughters — one a proud member of the Mount Holyoke Class of 2017 — and
learned how precious it is to hold onto deep friendships, even as time and distance pull us in different directions.
Even now, there is nothing that fills my bucket quite like reconnecting with Mount Holyoke friends.
Serving as a co-chair of our 50th Reunion feels like a chance to return to that well together — to
reconnect, reflect, and celebrate the remarkable women we have been, and are still becoming.
