As a Student
One of the very first individuals of South Asian descent to attend Chatham, Kamala Cornelius (later Mrs. E. Asirvatham) arrived on campus in the fall of 1914 as part of a 35-person freshman class, most of whom had grown up in the state of Pennsylvania. She was a recipient of the Helen Pelletreau Scholarship, which was established by the Alumnae Association in 1891 “to assist worthy young ladies to complete their college course,” and of "outside contributions given by persons personally interested in the girl." [1, 2]
In a report to the scholarship committee in 1916, Cornelius is described as “a high-caste woman” who “will have unusual opportunities to work among a higher class of Hindus on her return home.”[3] The report continues with a reference to her family in India, highlighting her sister E. S. Appasamy, an internationally recognized lecturer on women’s education who worked with pioneering activist for women’s rights Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati, as well as the successes of her other siblings in American colleges.
Records in the Chatham University Archives show that Cornelius was actively engaged in student activities on campus. She was a member of the mandolin club, served as secretary and treasurer to the Chemistry Club in the year of its founding, and represented the college at the Y.W.C.A. East Central Student Conference at Eagles Mere, PA. At Eagles Mere, she made friends from other colleges with whom she traveled during the summer to visit the seashore and Bryn Mawr.
In describing Kamala Cornelius, editors of the 1918 college yearbook editors write that she is “getting to be a regular American girl.” Continuing, “She strolls in and out of class when she feels like it, and is even considering borrowing one of the girl’s dresses to wear down to dinner some night, and we are almost hoping she will treat India to some American slang when she returns.” [4]
Given the nickname “Camile,” she was named the “Best All-Around Girl” for 1918. [5]
In an article she wrote for the January 1915 student newspaper, Cornelius describes her first Christmas in the United States.
She notes that while some American households display “miniature villages” arranged below trees lit with colorful electric lights, it is rare to have a Christmas tree in India. She writes, “I do not think that I will ever have so delightful a Christmas as I have spent in this country after going home.” [6]
Other holiday breaks included travel to New York City, where she saw Maude Adams in the role of Peter Pan and other Broadway productions.