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Her mother, Dr. Milene Morfei, is an alumna and retired psychology professor at the college. When Dr. Morfei had classes, Tarah would accompany her to the campus. 

"It was a safe place," Tarah recalled in a phone interview with Ë®¹ûÅÉAV. "I could walk around there as a kid without any worries, without any fear." 

That safe place will soon be gone. 

Citing financial challenges, Wells College announced it will close at the end of the spring semester. The 156-year-old institution will cease operations after educating thousands, mostly women like the Morfeis. 

Ë®¹ûÅÉAV interviewed or received messages from more than 20 alumnae, nearly all of whom learned of the closure the same way: An email sent by the college at 7 a.m. April 29.

The communiqué sparked a range of emotions, from anger at the college's leadership to sadness that the alma mater they love will no longer exist. 

For the Rev. Barb Blom, a pastor at the United Ministry of Aurora, the closure has a great impact on her family. Her son and his girlfriend are employed at Wells College. One of her foster children is a junior at the college and a member of the men's soccer team. 

"It's just such a hard blow," Blom said. "It's hard to even start thinking about it." 

Blom graduated from Wells in 1982. The Aurora college was not her first choice. An avid skier, she wanted to attend the University of Vermont, but was waitlisted. 

Her plan was to start at Wells and transfer to Vermont, but she fell in love with the college and surrounding community. 

"The connection with the village, professors and staff. It was a really relational place to be," Blom said. 

Blom also developed lifelong friendships. Several Wells alumnae who were interviewed for this story said the same — that they remain friends with their classmates. 

Rachel Snyder, who graduated in 2011, had about 30 Wells alums at her wedding. When a family member died last year, many of those friends traveled to support her. 

"I think that not only speaks to the character of a Wells alum but the type of care that Wells taught us to give others in the world," Snyder said. 

Some Wells College alumnae told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV they hoped their children would be able to attend the Aurora institution — a plan that is no longer possible. 

Dr. Kristy Parkin's oldest daughter is in high school and wanted to follow her mother by attending Wells College. 

"From when she was a child, she always said she was going to Wells," Parkin said. "I have pictures that I have taken of her at campus... She was able to grow up with Wells and I knew she would be going somewhere  safe that would love her and protect her. Even though she's got a couple years ahead of her, I don't know where she's going to go." 

Parkin, like the other alums who spoke about their experience, said Wells had a profound impact on her life. Her time at the college shaped her, she continued, and "is the reason that I am who I am now." 

Snyder has earned other degrees and certifications, but her Wells degree stands out whenever she refers to her credentials. The college, she says, was instrumental to her educational, personal and professional growth. 

Jill Wilson grew up in a small town and was shy before she decided to attend Wells College. When she graduated in 2005, she left Aurora as a confident woman. 

"I can definitely say, without hesitation, that Wells College changed my life," said Wilson, who now lives in Scipio Center. "It changed who I was as a person and really made me the woman that I am today." 

Many of the alums have questions, including why they weren't asked by the college to provide more support. (The college's tax filings show they raised money from different sources and became more reliant on contributions in recent years.) They also want to know what will happen with the campus and important symbols, such as the Minerva statue.

No decisions have been made about the fate of the Aurora property or various possessions. 

Since the closure announcement, Wells alumni connected on social media and shared their memories. If they didn't plan on attending commencement or the reunion before, they are now. It's one last chance to see the campus they remember before it closes for good. 

The finality of the decision is already settling in for some alums. Tarah-Zeh Morfei won't be able to go back to campus to reminisce about her youth or the institution's traditions. She likened it to the death of several family members. The loss for her, and others, is immeasurable. 

"My home is gone," Morfei said.