Dear Editor,
If you are reading this, you are most likely a current Drexel student or a Drexel employee. If you think that the Drexel University Alumni Association is very distant to you, think again. You probably interact with the University’s alumni more than you realize.
For example, did you know that 18 percent of Drexel’s 4,508 employees hold at least one degree from Drexel? Every year, Drexel alumni return to the University for additional degrees and continuing education; these past graduates may even be in your classes. Even before you applied to Drexel, you may have interacted with a graduate at a college fair through the Office of Enrollment Management’s Alumni Ambassador program. And before you started classes, you may have attended a Freshman Send-off hosted by the Alumni Association and local alumni who live in the area where you grew up.
Drexel’s alumni are eager to work with current students, from collaborating with them on CAN DU community service projects to providing Alumni Association grants to recognized student organization.
Why should you care about the Alumni Association? If you are currently a student, having an alma mater with a strong Alumni Association means resources and networking that are available to you at almost every stage of your life. If you need help finding a job upon graduation, there are likely great people with whom to connect within the Alumni Association that work at your dream company or have already made a career in your chosen field. If you are in a career transition, starting a family or looking forward to retirement, the Alumni Association hosts webinars, events and panel discussions, and offers other services to help you connect with alumni in similar situations.
The Drexel University Alumni Association Board of Governors has set up an advice page for graduating seniors at www.drexel.edu/alumni. If you are a Drexel graduate, we encourage you to add your own advice to this year’s senior class as well. And if you are a member of the Class of 2011, check out the advice that alumni have already posted for you online.
As a member of Drexel’s Alumni Board of Governors, I can say that we look forward to working with you in the future and hope that you will take advantage of the many opportunities the Alumni Association has to offer for current students and of course, alumni. Drexel University’s Alumni Association is connecting Dragons everywhere!
Catherine Campbell-Perna
B.S., Communications, 1995
M.S., Higher Education, 2010