An Anniversary Alumnae Collaboration

Ruby Veridiano G’15 and Dianne Dodd Cheseldine ’66 first met when they returned to campus in May 2022 for AUP’s 60th-anniversary reunion weekend. The pair swapped stories of their studies in Paris five decades apart and discovered a shared interest in sustainable fashion. This led to them collaborating on a special lecture on the topic at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) in Reno, Nevada, on April 6.

“It’s amazing to think that this started over a glass of wine as we were looking out over the Seine,” says Dianne, who is a Professor Emerita of Foreign Languages at TMCC and the founder of the Dianne Dodd Cheseldine Distinguished Speaker Series, which has since 2000 invited exceptional individuals such as Ruby to share their knowledge and experience with the college’s students.

Ruby herself is a fashion changemaker, storyteller and educator who has worked with organizations such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. She spoke on the connection between women’s empowerment and sustainable fashion and the importance of centering BIPOC voices in fashion industry narratives. “I’m grateful to Dianne for the opportunity to bring our global conversation to her local campus,” says Ruby.