For a college to become an alma mater in the hearts of its students, it must show, true to the Latin meaning, the wisdom and comfort of a good foster mother. Since "alma mater" is Latin, and since the study of Latin has waned on all educational levels in both pious and secular milieus, the author wonders whether folks who use that term really know what it means anymore. This thought occurred to her during a seminar she teaches with another professor at her state-university campus, an introduction to Greek and Roman antiquity for 10 carefully selected freshmen, all on full, four-year scholarships to study the humanities. In this article, the author shares a personal narrative of how Barnard College had been an alma mater to her.