Tap alumni connections
By Jennifer Laurin
I hate to admit it, but it’s been a while — a pretty long while — since I enjoyed my last spring back-campus walk, my last Sunsplash, my last time “studying” on the Heart.
But particularly these days, as my work as a teacher exposes me to current students who are staring down graduation, I am reminded of both the excitement and the trepidation that accompanied that last Spring at Earlham.
With the anticipated thrill of independence, I worried about what my path would be, whether Earlham had prepared me for the “real” world, and how I would pay the rent. Time passes, but I suspect that many of those emotions are still present for Earlham seniors, particularly in a time when we hear all-too-often about the bleak state of today’s economy.
If I’m right about that, then I might also rightly suspect that, like my tender 20-year-old self, Earlham students today might not be aware of an important resource that can ease those anxieties and bridge the gap from life on campus to life on the outside: Earlham alumni.
Every year almost 300 of us walk off Chase Stage and start along diverse paths, in cities, schools, and professions all over the world and running the gamut of interests. We build new communities, we stumble, we succeed and we gain wisdom — wisdom that is informed by our Earlhamness but that grows from experiences and perspectives that we did not have from the vantage point of the Heart.
Eventually, we are also lucky enough to gain resources — the futon for a student in town for an interview; the autonomy to take on an intern; the extra cash for a conversation over coffee for two. And many, many of us continue to hold the significance of our Earlham educations dear to our hearts and central to our identities.
What does all of that mean for current students? It means that there are thousands of potential advice-givers, mentors, or even employers with whom you already share a powerful connection — if only you tap it.
Wondering what law school is like? Who better to ask than an Earlham grad who is experiencing it now? Want tips about how to break into publishing? Who better to seek out than one of the many grads working the field? Looking for a summer internship in Seattle? What could be smarter than knowing what Earlhamites are out there in your field?
These are individuals who have unique ability and motivation to give you the advice or boost that you need to translate your Saturday afternoon musings about the future into a plan of action.
None of this is to suggest, cynically, that success is “all about who you know, not what you know.” Nor is it to suggest that finding a job is as easy as finding the right grad to ask.
Rather, it is to encourage smart, self-motivated, big-thinking students (I’m describing you, Earlhamites) to use resources that will make the vast world of postgraduation possibilities a little more manageable, systematic, and reflective of the outcomes that your hard work and depth of character have earned.
How can you do this? Talk to people — starting on campus, and starting today, whether you are a first year or a senior.
Tell your professors what internships or career paths you might be interested in, and ask them whether they know grads in those areas. (Guess what: They probably do.) Ask the good folks at the Bonner Center how you can connect with alumni in the cities or schools or professional arenas that you want to pursue. Attend events that bring alumni back to campus, like yesterday afternoon’s program in the LBC, where a dozen alumni talked with students about careers and job-searching.
But also important, and in the truest Earlham spirit, is that you remember these words when you are safely on the other side, when you are that recipient of wisdom and resources and a bit of success on your path.
Remember that those things do the most good if they’re spread around, and consider what “giving back” of yourself will do for Earlham students of tomorrow — like yourselves today — trying to make a muchneeded impact on the world.
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