Emilia O'Brien, House Board President 2021-2022
My name is Emilia O’Brien, I am a junior in the School of Information minoring in Public Policy. This is my third year at the university and in the building, as well as my second year on the house board. I previously served as Vice President and am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the President of the Martha Cook Building house board this year.
This year has brought so much change to the university and each of our lives. Much like the University, the Martha Cook Building has been abuzz with activity and full of life in the past few months—a welcome change from the past two years. These past few busy months have been filled with teas, elections, and numerous other events. Since the building was closed in the winter semester of 2021, there were no house board members at the start of the school year. Despite the lack of house board (who would typically plan Welcome Week festivities) committed returning Cookies rallied to create a very successful Welcome Week. In early September elections were held and every position on house board was filled. Also, in September we celebrated dinner for new women in the building: it was beautiful to hear the sound of our song “Grace” filling the dining hall once again. The tradition of weekly teas in the Gold Room has resumed and everyone is grateful that we can share our building with guests once again.
The building is at its full capacity of residents! It is wonderful to see the building have a warmth and energy that surpasses any of the previous years I have lived here. With a huge number of new residents in the building, house board faces the formidable and exciting challenge of reinstating the traditions that have not been celebrated for almost two years.
Members of house board have already been working diligently with our Director of Alumnae Relations & Traditions, Patty Mullaney, to plan many of the building’s traditional events, as well as working to develop new programming. The past two years have shown me the amazing ability of my fellow board members and Cookies to adapt to an ever-changing world. It is because of this that I am confident in the success of house board this year. I am so excited for what the year ahead holds for this building and its residents.