There were not many things Ms. Fairley would have changed about her Dartmouth experience! When asked if there was anything that she would have changed, she noted that she wished she could have stayed longer.
She recounts making wonderful memories dropping off her daughters, Amanda '07 and Hayley '14 to school as well as the frequent trips to campus her father also enjoyed making.
After a bit of thinking, she noted that she wished she could have branched out a bit more beyond the Black community. Ms. Fairley acknowledged that the reason she did not focus on doing this at the time, was likely due to the fact that she was so happy to be around Black people, and that's where she enjoyed putting her energy.
"I wish I could've stayed longer."
As one of the first families to have three generations of Dartmouth graduates, Ms. Fairley would love for her family to be the first to have a fourth.
She is passionate about encouraging everyone to send their kids to prestigious schools like Dartmouth so that they can build and benefit from their family legacies. In her interview, she notes that she already has gotten her grandkids their Dartmouth graduating class year on a T-shirt and warned her kids to start saving their money!
"You're gonna do this right?"
As the daughter of a BADA [Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association] founder and a former president with a decade worth of experience, Ms. Fairley was the perfect person to take on this labor of love. Called to action by her dad, and working with her one of her besties, Tee Lotson '82, she spent over two years working on making "BADA @ 50", BADA's 50th reunion a celebration that Black alum and students would never forget.
The event was a special multi-day 50th reunion program that includes cross-cutting conversations, featuring Dartmouth faculty, students, and amazing alums from across the years. During the celebration, there were opportunities to recognize, honor, and uplift BADA members and supporters, as well as time to reconnect with friends and current Black students on campus.
Ms. Fairley noted that the primary reason she continues to be so involved in BADA and with Dartmouth is that she loves having the opportunity to impact the lives of young people.