In February 1983, I remember racing home from school each day to see what may be waiting in the mailbox, and hoping to see a nice, thick envelope from the colleges to which I applied. I'll never forget receiving the thin envelope from Mills College, the school I had really pinned my hopes on. The admissions officers must have known the anxiety a thin envelope would produce. They immediately cut to the chase in the first sentence of the letter: "The answer is 'Yes!' You are a Mills woman." I can't tell you the elation I felt that day. I knew I was in for a life-changing experience. My four years at Mills were extraordinary, from the intellectual rigor demanded by the faculty to the bucolic campus in the heart of east Oakland to the friendships that live on today. Those years shaped me into the woman I am today, and I feel so grateful to my family who made the sacrifice to send me there. Last month, when I decided to examine my philanthropic priorities for the year, education was chief among them. I have supported my alma mater since the day I graduated and will continue to do so. I just made my annual gift to Mills in memory of that day 27 years ago when my life took off in a new direction. I did so to enable other young women to experience the same thing I did, especially during a time when the need for financial aid is so great.