College is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience and a time of immense personal growth. It is often our first real opportunity to experience the world as an individual and is the place where many of us develop lifelong friends through shared intellectual experiences, personal interests, and fun-filled adventures. For many of us, the friends we make on campus end up being our best. We may have not realized it at the time, but the experiences we shared during those formative years of our lives – living away from parents for the first time, figuring out if we were in the right major, challenging coursework that tested our abilities and work ethic – were going to be enough to connect us forever.
Today’s students are living through those experiences right now, and while we know it’s not easy being a Mines student, we do know they’re receiving a world-class STEM education with support systems to ensure they feel connected and welcome on campus. The Center for Alumni Relations & Advancement is focused on increasing scholarships, funding much-needed building renovations, and providing departments with crucial resources so that we can continue to give students the academic and campus experiences they deserve. We want them to excel in their classes and make lifelong friendships while they’re at it.
And after they cross that stage, we want to keep them connected through alumni events and networking opportunities. I’ve witnessed friends reconnecting at our alumni events, and it’s one of the best outcomes we could ever hope for. Life gets busy – careers, children, moves across the country, etc. I encourage you to attend a local alumni event, or, if your current city doesn’t have one, you can work with our Director of Alumni Relations, Shelli Grinager, to organize something.
I hope you’re able to connect with your Hardrocker friends over the holidays. Maybe during the course of reading this letter, you’ve thought of someone you should reach out to. I hope you do.
Wishing you happy holidays and a happy new year!