Saint Mary’s alumni hosted a casual networking event Friday to connect students and alumni, fostering a sense of support and community.
The alumnae event included representatives of the Belles of the Last Decade (BOLD) committee, who work closely to assist new graduates with the transition from Saint Mary’s to the workplace.
“As soon as you graduate from Saint Mary’s College, you become a member of BOLD automatically,” Kristin Murphy, a member of BOLD, said. “If you would like to be more involved, BOLD representatives have meetings twice a year to help the College prepare for the annual Donor Challenge and also help lead initiatives to engage with recent graduates.”
Murphy said the BOLD committee is a valuable resource for graduates to maintain a connection with the Saint Mary’s community.
“We try to assist recent graduates by highlighting grads around the country who are doing different things and hosting events like this, so we can connect with you guys and help you in whatever way we can by answering questions about transitioning to post-college life,” she said.
For some current students, this event was an opportunity to personally meet some of the alum they have previously connected with in different settings and learn more about the transition after Saint Mary’s.
“I was invited to come because I am a Phonathon representative, meaning I have the delight of calling our alumni every week and speaking to them,” junior Deirdre Drinkall said. “Our department invited us to mingle with some of the BOLD members.”
Drinkall believes that alumni events like this are the foundation of the Saint Mary’s community.
“Saint Mary’s is such a special school, and we’re so built on tradition. Events like this help foster this tradition,” she said. “It reminds me why they chose Saint Mary’s and why they choose to keep coming back to Saint Mary’s. It gets me so excited and invigorated to be at Saint Mary’s presently.”
This event also helped ease students’ worries about the future as alumni provided insight into the post-college experience.
“I talked with several of the alumni and learned some very good tips about how to transition out of college, how to find good internships, and also, how to find great places to live,” junior Claire Linginfelter said.
The opportunity to build relationships with alumni helps students and alumnae grow the Saint Mary’s community.
“It’s really important to build relationships with alumnae because it helps them feel more connected to our campus, and it helps students realize that Saint Mary’s is broader than our campus community,” Linginfelter said.
Both alumni and students alike said that this event was a great way to bring both parts of the Saint Mary’s community together.
“I think this just highlights the overall connection between those who have gone to Saint Mary’s and those who currently go to Saint Mary’s,” Murphy said. “As soon as you graduate, you will always be an alum and Saint Mary’s will always be your connection. It’s a lifelong sisterhood.”
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