On November 22, 2024, many students were surprised to see a number of Alumni coming back to New Way, but why? Fortunately, I had an early tip there is going to be a new program in place for Alumni. I was interested in the program, so I reached out to Development Director Scott Smith about the program.
The following email conversation took place between November 20-25th
Tyler: Dear Mr. Smith, I am a Journalist for the Campus Courier, New Way’s student newspaper. I heard that there will be a program for Alumni at New Way. What is this program about and is it relevant to our newspaper?
Mr Smith: Hi Tyler, Thanks for reaching out! We are hosting a “Lunch & Learn” this Friday for New Way Alumni to reconnect and share feedback with our admin team. We want to better understand how alumni want to stay engaged with New Way (i.e. events, mentoring, volunteering, etc.), how they prefer to receive updates and news, and what feedback and suggestions they have for us.
After Thanksgiving Break, I was interested to learn more details about the program and how the Lunch and Learn went. During the Lunch & Learn, Mr. Smith informed me that the event was focused on being a style setting, and they heard from 14 former New Way students about their communication preferences and their interest in future events. The Alumni also shared testimonials on how New Way has impacted them. Although Mr Smith did clarify the Alumni program idea is still in its infancy stage.
Even though there isn’t anything else to report on the program, I’m happy about the program because Alumni mentors can help students In high school or younger by helping them work on difficult assignments they had to work on. Also, I’d imagine more help from Alumni for future events would be great. According to Kingsschools.org, former graduates staying involved with their Alma mater can be a good thing. Serving on the school boards, participating in events, and contributing to community innovations help build a sense of community between the past and present. If the program does become a reality, I will consider being a part of it after I graduate.
Source:
https://kingsschools.org/blog/the-importance-of-alumni/#:~:text=Alumni%20often%20stay%20involved%20with,%2C%20present%2C%20and%20future%20students.
