On Wednesday, I went to the 50th-anniversary fundraising dinner for the State University of New York’s Educational Opportunity Program. The EOP provides college access and support to low-income students in New York State — young adults who are often the first ones in their families to go to college. These students haven’t had the advantages that higher-income students take for granted: a stellar public or private school, expensive extracurriculars, standardized-test tutoring. What they do have is educational promise and untapped potential. With EOP, not only do these students get into college, but they stay in college and graduate.
Sunny Hostin, an EOP participant who graduated from SUNY Binghamton, received one of the awards given out at the dinner. In her acceptance, she spoke about how, as a teenager, she dreamed of escaping her violent South Bronx neighborhood by going to college. She said she would hear her father crying at night because he couldn’t afford to send her to school. Then, through EOP, SUNY Binghamton came through with full tuition. “Education is the great equalizer,” Hostin said, and she’s living proof: A former federal prosecutor, she is now the senior legal correspondent for ABC News and co-host of ABC’s morning show The View.
Each year, SUNY receives about 15,000 qualified EOP applicants, but it only has enough funding to accept 3,000 of these students. Hopefully, an anonymous $1 million donation announced at the dinner will pave the way for some additional students, but any size contribution helps.
The dinner was hosted by another EOP alum: Emmy-winning weatherman and awesome Today Show host Al Roker, a graduate of SUNY Oswego. He was very pleased with the weather, which provided us with an excellent view from the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Center.
What a #beautiful view from #RainbowRoom @RainbowRoomNYC at @rockcenternyc Hosting @SUNY EOP #50th #anniversary #gala pic.twitter.com/MIv6Zrovuw
— Al Roker (@alroker) May 17, 2017
It’s true that on a clear day you can see forever, but I will argue that any view from the Rainbow Room is interesting, no matter what the weather. Many years ago, I had dinner there during a bad storm, and watching the clouds and lightening was very exciting. If you haven’t been there, do go if you get a chance. The venue’s Bar SixtyFive boasts of having the highest outdoor terrace bar in New York — though you might want to pass on that terrace seating during a monsoon.
I wore my Prada lip dress from 2012 to the SUNY dinner … and that five-year-old dress was the newest part of my outfit!
What Wendy Wore
Dress: Prada (2012)
Purse: Louis Vuitton Alma in Epi (2001)
Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent (probably pre-2007)
I’ve gotten a lot of use out of this dress. Here it is in 2012 …
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… 2013 …
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… 2014 …
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… and 2016.
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It’s also in my publicity photo.
But it appears that I’ve never taken a photo of the back of the dress until this week.
Ta da!
I was already on my way to the dinner when I realized I forgot to put on my lips emoji studs. Darn it! Don’t make my mistake and get your earrings on my website, where you have a choice of 18K gold, silver, and gold-plated silver.
Sterling silver. Click to purchase.
They’re so cute on.
Click to purchase.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already gotten a preview of the lips emoji choker. For that style, I’ve added rose gold to the mix — and a little diamond tooth!
There are a few ways to customize these. For instance, I could add a diamond to the earring version for you or make the necklace with a longer chain. Maybe you have other ideas. If you have any special requests, holla at me at info at wendybrandes dot com.