“Homecoming 2022 was a weekend of many firsts for some of our alumni,” said Joycelyn Blizzard, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s director of multicultural alumni engagement. The busiest of these groups, she added, was the newly created ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ College Black Alumni Association (BCBAA).
The BCBAA hosted its first complete weekend of events, which included a welcome reception and game night on Friday, September 30, at the John Brown Russwurm African American Center, followed on Saturday by a networking brunch.
“This was such an energetic event,” said Blizzard, “featuring current students and expert alumni in their fields discussing everything from career trajectories to student life on campus. Not only was the room filled with deep conversations, but there was also an overture of squeals and excitement as everyone was thrilled to reunite with each other,” she added.
“The path from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ to whatever it is you're going to do is not a straight line,” BCBAA president and trustee emeritus Michael Owens '73, P'15 told the crowd, “but you’re going to be very well equipped to navigate it.”
Several distinguished alumni were on hand to offer advice about careers in a number of areas. These included strategic consultant Adriennie Hatten '90, who discussed careers in the nonprofit world; Grammy-nominated music producer Shawn Stewart ’08, who talked about jobs in the entertainment sector; and retired professor David A. Dickson II '76, P'13, who offered advice on careers in higher education.
President Clayton Rose was able to join and share remarks about the importance of these multicultural alumni groups in the fabric of college life. “I'm incredibly grateful to both our alums and our students here, as well as the faculty and staff, for making sure that we are focused on the things that make us a better and better institution,” he said.
Earlier that day, Latinx alumni had lunch at the Center for Multicultural Life and the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life with more than forty students and alumni in attendance, said Blizzard, who addressed the gathering and who helped put together the weekend’s events. “We look forward to future opportunities for these communities to continue to connect at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾,” she commented.
