This story was originally published on the Pitt Alumni Website and written by Amanda S.F. Hartle
As a first-year student in 1974, University of Pittsburgh alumna Cynde Frederick (A&S ’78) wasn’t sure what the next four years on campus would bring.
But from the moment she entered the Cathedral of Learning for her first Lantern Night, she felt her future had started.
“I knew I’d meet those women again somewhere, sometime, and I could say we were in that room together,” says Frederick, who holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communications from Pitt and a law degree from Duquesne University. “Networking starts the moment you walk into Lantern Night. It starts you off on the path to walk out of the University with a steady and strong network.”
A Beloved Tradition
The Pitt community gathers for the 104th year in a row for Lantern Night on Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. on the Cathedral lawn.
Started in 1920, the University’s oldest and most beloved tradition was for most of its history only open to women. Like the rest of the world, Lantern Night has transformed and evolved.
In 2020, as LED lights replaced actual flames—just as smaller, plastic lanterns had swapped in for the metal and paper lanterns of the past—the Cathedral’s proverbial doors swung open to welcome all Pitt first-year and transfer students. They joined the legacy of scholars receiving the light of learning from generations of Panther alumni preceding them.
Impressive and Inspirational
Frederick’s Lantern Night experience began with a paper invitation delivered via University mail. She put on a dress from her closet to fulfill the “semiformal” dress code and walked to the Cathedral with a group of newly minted friends she’d met her first week.
“We didn’t understand what a memorable experience it would be for us,” Frederick says.
Five decades later, she still recalls the awe-inspiring sight of the Commons Room, where the event was held at the time.
“There were candles all around, and it was just other-worldly, impressive and inspirational with all the singing by choirs and the feeling of history to it all,” Frederick says.
She left the event with a sense of purpose—after also enjoying a few treats from stacks upon stacks of cookies served on silver trays.
“We had this sense of empowerment and calm when we left Lantern Night,” Frederick says. “It was very much, ‘I can do this. Bring it on.’ It was a totally different, grounded and future-looking tone than we had when we entered.”
Growing the Lantern Night Network
Frederick’s time on campus flew by, filled with audited courses on top of a full courseload. The audited courses didn’t appear on her transcripts, but they allowed her to pursue graduate-level studies to prepare for her future career in law.
Frederick was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and part of the welcoming party for the Hungarian ambassador when he visited Pitt to tour the Nationality Rooms’ Hungarian Room. She maintained both of those connections as an alumna, serving as the sorority board’s president and working with the Austrian Room’s committee.
Outside of Pitt, Frederick’s legal career led her to the National Labor Relations Board, where she was a trial specialist, and to the Pennsylvania Securities Commission as director of enforcement and litigation. In her retirement, she focuses on volunteer work, serving on various area boards across the Pittsburgh region.
And Frederick continues to spread the word about Lantern Night, where this year she’ll serve as one of approximately 200 alumni flame bearers as well as a well wisher, and its importance to Pitt students—on the cusp of forging their own networks.
“If I hear someone is going to Pitt, I make sure they know to register for Lantern Night,” Frederick says. “It’s such a valuable and impactful experience to have that you’ll carry it with you long after you’ve graduated.”