Campus Voices
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Since I started working for BB&N last June, I have been impressed with the School’s emphasis on the importance of building a community for the School. I believe that this goal, paired with the School’s mission of honor, scholarship, and kindness helps to guide and shape the students while they are at BB&N. I also have witnessed the endurance of this sense of community past the landscape of the Cambridge campus and into the lives of our alumni/ae.
As a recent college graduate, the importance and effects of education are still very fresh in my mind. I have been lucky enough to benefit from the faculty and resources of an independent school similar to BB&N. The engaging and challenging atmosphere of an independent school combined with the relationships of peers, faculty, and staff helped me to develop as a scholar and also as a person. My personal growth and success through education led me to be a volunteer for the educational institutions I attended, and ultimately as a career.
The BB&N Alumni/ae Office is continually working to maintain and develop alumni/ae relationships to the School and to act as a constant resource for connectivity between alumni/ae, faculty, staff, and friends. Through events, publications, and social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter), the Alumni/ae Office continually provides means for the community at large to reengage and stay connected to the School.
I have greatly enjoyed being a part of our Office’s efforts to develop the young alumni/ae community. After graduating from college this past spring in what was quite a dismal economy, I was reminded of the benefits of being a part of a community. If you have graduated recently or even many years before, your ties to the institution are eternal and the School acts as an unwavering resource for its alums.
In an effort to maintain this connection to the BB&N community, the Alumni/ae Office hosts a variety of events to keep young alums in contact with their former peers and with the faculty. Even before seniors have graduated from BB&N, they are exposed to the many resources they will have access to as graduates. The Senior Class Ambassadors are a group of seniors who participate in a variety of projects throughout the year that involve the alumni/ae world including writing alumni/ae profiles, creating and sending care packages to recent graduating classes, and organizing the Senior Class Gift. The Ambassadors also play an essential role in helping to educate their peers about the benefits of being a BB&N alum.
Once the seniors have finished their senior projects, enjoyed their summer vacation, and left for college, there are many ways for them to continue to be involved with BB&N. The Recent Grads Coffee is held every fall during Thanksgiving break and is a great opportunity for alums in college to return to BB&N and to catch up with former classmates and teachers. From my own experience, I know that college students are often very involved on their college campus and unable to make it back to their high school. So, in a new program called “College Nights,” BB&N will visit our alums in college. Our most recent College Night hosted graduates who are attending colleges in Maine for a dinner in Brunswick.
As young alums mature in their educational and professional careers, there are a variety of social and professional resources available. The regional pub nights always draw a large group of alums together and are a fun way to reconnect. Our Office also helps alums connect professionally through our facilitation of personal connections with other alums as well as through regional networking events. BB&N alums go on to be involved with and accomplish fascinating things in a variety of fields. The alum community is a great resource for professional advice, internships, and even jobs. Alums are always willing to speak with other alums, so please let us know if you’re interested in getting in touch with alums in a specific field! And last but not least, our largest alumni/ae event, Strawberry Night, is another great opportunity for alums of all ages, current and former faculty, and friends to gather every June for a festive evening at the Upper School.
Although you or your children may have received your diploma and relocated away from the Boston area, the relationships built at BB&N continue and even more connections can be made in the alumni community. All BB&N alums are connected through their experience at the School and all alums carry the mission of honor, scholarship, and kindness with them. Our Office is a resource for all alums looking to reengage and connect with the School community on and off campus – if there is anything we can do to help further these efforts, please let us know!
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