Brimmer Beyond the Walls

Every year on the Friday after Memorial Day we produce graduates. Since the turn of the millennium class sizes have ranged between 22 and 48 students, but on average we send about 3 dozen of them off to college annually. Sometimes 1 or 2 take a gap year to work or travel or just figure themselves out a little better but in the sum of that quarter century of students 99% of them go on to post-secondary studies.

 

So our students turn into alums, naturally, and we keep in touch with them and they come back to visit or join us at school sponsored events such as Homecoming and Alumni Day. Or they just drop in to say hello. It’s a bit difficult to do the same with them when we are out in the world because it’s kind of awkward to think to stop by a university and drop in on an alum in class. But there are other ways to see them when they are on stage, on a field or court, or are part of a outward facing college program such as Model UN, for example. It’s always great to catch up with our alums, but it is particularly interesting to see them when they are in college, to see how they are doing in the milieu we have striven to prepare them for—academically, artistically, socially, ethically, and healthfully. We help them grow into college students, and even more, I think, help them grow into adults. They mostly help themselves quite a bit too.

 

For example, Ms. Neely, Ms. Rudolph and I had the pleasure of to catch up with Stephanie Altschul ’25 at Yale when we attended the Model UN conference there in January. Stephanie was our Lead Delegate in her senior year at Brimmer but was now sitting on the other side of the table as the Assistant Chair for the UN Environment Program Committee. While this year was a mentoring experience for her, next year she’ll be running a committee herself and hopefully working once again with Brimmer’s Model UN Delegation. And as for her academics, Stephanie has been hitting the books hard with a deep dive into classical literature in Yale’s Directed Studies program for freshman. (Feel good about that, Brimmer Humanities teachers!)

Stephanie is one of many Brimmer grads pursuing their passions in their college studies; we have engineers and artists, economists and political scientists, biologists and mathematicians, communicators, marketers, and media makers, and as well as health scientists, public policy mavens, and many other specialized areas of study among our alums’ pursuits. It’s a world of busy, thoughtful students both inside and outside of Brimmer’s walls.

 

During this cold and bitter winter I have taken the opportunity to cross paths in person with and to watch in games streamed on line or on cable TV—our athletic alums acquitting themselves well in the world of college sport. Athletic contests are the easiest ways to see our graduates in action, and I have caught an Elms soccer game (Kaylee Little ’23) in the fall. This winter I’ve watched a host of Post b-ball (Gianni Thompson ’21 and Ta’Quan Williams '23), BU hoops (Quinn Nielsen ’23), Endicott roundball (Elijah Kinney ’23), and Springfield baskets (Xoren Livingston ’23) as well as “the game” played at Trinity (Jarrel Okorougo ’22), Rutgers (Bryce Dortch ’24), and Maryland (Andre Mills ’24), with a check in on Emmanuel (Ismani Cepeda ’22) and Elmira (Moni Thomas ‘24) on the side. Sure, it’s a bit sports nerdy to dial up live streams and check results and box scores, but it’s a heart-warming distraction on a cold winter’s day when I can see some of our alums being successful and enjoying their college athletic experiences. 

 

Admittedly, I have missed a few opportunities too, which I vow to make up for next year. There’s a Lucas Williams ’25 Emerson soccer game or two to get to, a Brian Gamble ’23 Yale cross country meet, a Leni Hicks-Dutt ‘23 Smith crew regatta, and hopefully even an Owen Williams ’23 Babson Rugby match. If it’s happening in New England, it’s local and on the radar screen.

 

To be clear, I am merely one of many among a trove of wonderful and dedicated colleagues here at Brimmer who get out into the world to see our alums (or catch them on a screen) performing, presenting, or playing. And often a faculty member here will just meet up with a former student or advisee for breakfast or lunch and have a good chat (our alums do enjoy a good meal, I’ve noticed). We do always love to see them and hear about their learning adventures and outside-of the-classroom learning experiences in college. It’s Brimmer’s beyond the walls and it’s exciting.