On Being an Alum

Earlier tonight, I attended an unexpected, unplanned, unofficial alumni event. Brewforia, in Eagle, was closing, which meant that Grind Burgers was also closing and Jake had arranged a facebook invite for people to show up to enjoy the food and drink one last time. I hadn’t planned on going but Caitlin text me and I spontaneously decided to go. She was driving the other Hall Directors as well, so squeezed in the back of her Toyota with Matt and Justin, we made our way out to Eagle.

Yes, the burgers were delicious (although mine had this weird cheese that I DID not like) and I’m sure the beer was lovely (I didn’t drink because I already had a bit to drink at a faculty thing beforehand) but the best part of the night was that it really was an unofficial alumni event. All of us were alumni, College employees, or a combination of both. And I know that I’ve said this before but one thing I love about being a C of I alumna is that the college is an immediate connection to anyone else who went there. The conversation was non-stop the entire two hour meal, whether it was about college things, or people we had in common or just random things that pop up in conversation. I’ve had experiences like this before, where I’ve had fantastic and long conversations with other alums that I had never spoken to before but met because we shared many professors, class topics, majors, or college experiences. And because we all have different backgrounds that intersect at the College, there are so many things that can be discussed, with the college foundation underneath. Through things like this, the Sundance event, Homecoming, and other random events, I love being able to have conversations with people who I know have had really similar experiences to me but have different ways of sharing them because of their different backgrounds and the different paths they took after the College.

Speaking of College news, apparently we have a new fight song. So there’s that.

Also, our basketball teams are kicking tail this year. And our Yotefam is awesome. I went with Caitlin, Jennie, and Kevin (and were later joined by Luke and Jennie's nephew, Chris and Emily) for the final of the Cascade Conference, which we ended up winning! It was such a blast from the past because the last time we had won Conference was my freshmen year! I still remember running onto the court at the end of the game, watching the players cut down the net, cheering and jumping around with excitement. I even still have the t-shirt from that year, which is huge and is now used as a sleep shirt. To see that happen, ten years later, and think about what's changed but also what's still the same was so great. Way to go, Yoties!