President Sarah Willie-LeBreton’s Asia Visit Celebrates Smith’s Global Community

In April, Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton traveled to South Korea and Japan on her first official visit to Asia, bringing together alums, students, parents, and institutional partners to celebrate Smith’s legacy, while looking ahead to its next chapter.

The tour not only served to highlight Smith’s 150th anniversary and the enduring relevance of its mission, but to also strengthen Smith’s relationship with its partners in Asia, as well as with the alum community there. “This trip has shown me, in city after city, just how far the Smith network reaches,” posted President Sarah Willie-LeBreton on Instagram, “and how deeply it is cherished.”

Whether talking to the media or to alum groups, Willie-LeBreton stressed that women’s colleges are even more relevant today and serve as models for the future of education. She emphasized that institutions like Smith play a critical role in developing inclusive, human-centered leadership that ensures innovation and reflects the needs of all communities—issues particularly significant in an era shaped by rapid technological change, including artificial intelligence.

Smith’s ties to Asia date back more than a century. Tei Ninomiya 1910 is the first Asian student to graduate from Smith and was recently honored as part of a campus gallery exhibit celebrating the contributions of Smith’s earliest students of color. 

Throughout the trip, Willie-LeBreton shared updates about Compass 2035, the college’s strategic plan, and engaged in conversations about how institutions around the world are evolving to meet the needs of future generations. In addition to connecting with Smith alums in this part of the world, she also used the trip to strengthen relationships that support Smith’s global enrollment, academic exchange, and long-term partnerships.

In each country, local alums guided the group, offering an immersive introduction to the history and culture of each place. In Seoul, South Korea, Willie-LeBreton took part in a traditional Korean tea ceremony in the historic Bukchon Hanok Village, and spent a memorable evening at the innovative Hyundai Card Cooking Library. This five-story cultural complex, offers an unprecedented culinary experience through food education, with interactive cooking workshops and a farm-to-table rooftop greenhouse restaurant. It is also known for its curated spaces, some designed by interior designer Mary Spackman ’91, and its collection of nearly 12,000 international cookbooks, including those written by Julia Child ’34.

In Tokyo, a Connect with Smith alum gathering also included distinguished guests and institutional partners, including Yuko Takahashi, president of Tsuda University, a women’s college in Tokyo founded in 1906. This presented a rare opportunity for both higher ed leaders to reflect on their shared commitment to advancing women’s education globally. Also in attendance was the recipient of the Grew Bancroft Foundation’s Sutematsu Scholarship, an annual merit-based award given to a Japanese female student to study at one of a select group of women’s colleges in the United States. This year’s winner, Moa Maeda ’30, the third recipient of the scholarship, will attend Smith in the fall. 

With a significant number of Smith alums living in Asia and elsewhere, the college’s international community plays a vital role in shaping the future—both at Smith and globally. In an interview with The Korea Times, Willie-LeBreton maintained that a strong international student presence sustains intellectual vitality, helps institutions nurture tolerance and open-mindedness, and that such exchanges carry important implications in today’s world. She states in the article: “Making sure we engage with Asia early in my presidency has been a priority.”