It has been a busy autumn of alumni activities! In addition to attending a wonderful Homecoming, I had the pleasure of attending the Young Alumni Welcome event in Toronto and the Fine Art 55th Anniversary closing reception in Kingston. Each of these events left me feeling heartened, reinvigorated, and reminded of the value of staying connected to the Queen’s alumni community. Thank you to all those who came out.
This is actually something I have been thinking a lot about lately: the value of connection with one’s alma mater. In our busy, overwhelming world, where we are inundated by so many options as to how to spend our valuable personal time – what value or relevance does being an engaged member of the Queen’s alumni community have? While most are too polite to say it, I do think that sometimes people are quite perplexed about why I, a busy professional, am still so involved with Queen’s, so many years after graduation.
With my 15-year reunion now come and gone, it’s clear to me that while nostalgia and pride are huge drivers of our alumni community’s activities, at least for me, they are only one small part. It is not all about reliving the glory days. Rather, my favourite parts of being involved in the Queen’s alumni community include mentoring students; meeting interesting, compassionate, and engaged people whose paths I wouldn’t otherwise cross; intergenerational friendships with people living across Canada and internationally; continuing to be a lifelong learner; and the feeling of satisfaction one receives from volunteerism and philanthropy. Not many communities offer such robust and extensive ways to be connected and to have an impact.
Our alumni community is so much more than events, but events are often the entry point. So, I hope you will consider joining us sometime. Personally, I am already looking forward to Homecoming 2025, Oct. 17–19: a milestone reunion for classes ending in 0 and 5, and for the Tricolour Guard (alumni celebrating having graduated 50 years ago or more). While it won’t be a milestone reunion year for me, I look forward to meeting more members of our alumni community. If you are ever interested in learning how to become more involved in the alumni volunteer community, please reach out!
