Mona Pitre-Collins is Director of the Undergraduate Scholarship Office at the University of Washington. Mona is a member of the NAFA Executive Board.

Beth Powers: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Mona Pitre-Collins: Having enough time to work in my garden, and after a satisfying day, enjoy the results with a good book and some wonderful libation.

BP: What is your favorite aspect of scholarship work?
MPC: Getting the opportunity to become acquainted with the students.

BP: Least favorite?
MPC: Trying to schedule meeting times around our very busy schedules.

BP: Which historical figure do you most identify with?
MPC: I would have to think about that for a while longer.

BP: Which campus offices do you work most closely with in supporting/identifying candidates?
MPC: The Office of Undergraduate Education, to whom we report, generously supports our efforts; the Center for Experiential Learning (where we are housed) and the UW Honors Programs assist with the connections to outstanding students. In addition, we also work with academic departments and various student services programs to identify great students.

BP: Which words or phrases do you most overuse in letters of recommendation?
MPC: “In addition” and “also”–and got to love those adjectives.

BP: Who are your favorite writers?
MPC: Wow!! Too many to list, but I am currently reading Tommie Shelby’s We Who Are Dark, and revisiting Derrick Bell’s Silent Covenant, and am listening to Isabel Allende’s Paula in the car to and from work. Okay–got to mention Toni Morrison, Jamaica Kincaid, Louise Erdrich (those women write stories that reach into your soul) and Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, Skip Gates and, yes, I am waiting for Rowling’s next Harry Potter. I could go on and on. So many books...so little time.

BP: Where would you like to live?
MPC: Easy–Paris.

BP: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing scholarship work?
MPC: I would be working in some aspect of academic advising or directing programs in multicultural services.