Alison Chi

1 Where did you live while you were at Smith?
I lived in Sessions freshman year and then in Gillett for sophomore and senior years. I spent my junior year in Beijing.

2 What was your major?
I majored in economics, which was sadly a parent-pleasing choice. If I had it to do over again, I’d probably pick sociology.

3 What is your happiest memory from your Smith years?
My years at Smith weren’t the happiest time of my life, but I made some great friends, for which I’ll always be grateful.

4 Did you have a favorite 80s song or 80s style?
I adored Pat Benatar’s “We Belong,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Time after Time,” and anything Madonna. Child of the 80s? Yes I am!

5 Did you ever pull an all-nighter? Why?

Constantly – because I was a terrible procrastinator.

6 Friday tea – love it or hate it?
Liked it I guess, but I don’t have any specific memories of Friday tea.

7 What was your first job after college?
I worked as a paralegal for 10 months because it was the job I got, and quickly escaped into the world of radio, which was much more fun.

8 What is one trait you like best about your Smith friends?
I treasure how well we know each other after all of these years.

9 Any regrets from your Smith years?
Honestly, in retrospect I think Smith probably wasn’t the right choice for me. But given that, I mostly regret that I went to college when I was way too immature to appreciate it!

10 What has surprised you most about your life in the past 25 years?
This is a hard question to answer, but I am surprised that after having lived in NYC for almost 20 years I’ve ‘escaped’ to a small town 70 miles north of the city and am just loving small town life!

11 If you have (or will have) a daughter, would you encourage her to go to Smith?
If she wants to go to Smith I will be very happy for her. If she wants to go somewhere else I’ll be equally happy for her.

12 What is one of your current goals?
After a seven year hiatus caused primarily by motherhood, I’m finally practicing taekwondo (one of the true loves of my life) again in a new school with my whole family, started over again at white belt and hoping to work my way toward my second black belt!