There were way more than 10 Things to love in the Donnelley Theatre on May 3, 2024, when actress and alumna Larisa Oleynik ‘04 returned to Sarah Lawrence College for a special event celebrating the 25th anniversary of 10 Things I Hate About You.
An endearing and enduring teen romcom based loosely on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You has always had a special connection to Sarah Lawrence, as a central plot point is main character Kat Stratford’s desire to attend SLC. In the 25 years since the movie’s release, Sarah Lawrence admission staff members have read countless essays from prospective students sharing how 10 Things I Hate About You introduced them to Sarah Lawrence, and how Kat Stratford inspired them to attend.
But the most special connection between Sarah Lawrence and 10 Things I Hate About You is Oleynik, who played Bianca Stratford in the movie and arrived at SLC as a first-year student just one year after the movie’s release. In a recent article, Oleynik echoed the sentiment the admissions team has been hearing from prospective students all these years, saying of her choice to attend SLC: “It’s because of Kat! It’s because that character resonated so much. Kat’s probably why I went to Sarah Lawrence.”
10 Things I Hate About You has led many bright, creative students to Sarah Lawrence over the years, and the college community delighted in celebrating it during this special event. The evening began with a Q&A with Oleynik moderated by Filmmaking & Moving Image Arts faculty member Brian Emery ’07 and senior Madison Barnes ’24 — who sparked the idea for the event by penning an email to President Cristle Collins Judd earlier this year — and ended with a lively screening of the film.