Each year, I’m reminded how fortunate I am to live less than an hour from Carleton. Whether I’m on campus for official alumni volunteering or simply passing through with my family, I’m never disappointed by the overwhelming joy I feel upon entering town, walking the campus, and reconnecting with the experiences that shaped my four years at Carleton. It’s even better when I share that moment with fellow alumni, especially those returning for the first time in many years, and watching them light up with the same feeling. It’s a bonus when they ask, “How can I volunteer? I want to keep feeling this feeling!”
As an AAR, the time you devote to supporting Carleton’s admissions work through interviews, outreach, and events makes an indelible impact. You inspire curious, bright, community-minded, and driven students to imagine Carleton as a part of their future and to see the endless possibilities. You help ensure that the Carleton spirit endures, so that when you step back onto campus, you, too, can be reminded of how this special place shaped you. Buildings may change, beloved professors may retire, and the student body grows more diverse in every way, but the heart and soul of Carleton remain the same.
On behalf of the AAR Board, thank you for sharing your time, energy, and love for Carleton. Your dedication keeps the connection alive for the next generation of Carls!
ROSS A. CHÁVEZ ’01 BOARD CO-CHAIR
Dear AARs,
As much as the world changes, some things stay the same. The Carleton Class of ’29 has been selected, and they are now Carls (or Knights, depending on your age). They have the same excitement and trepidation that we did as we started. The admissions office has worked diligently to create this class and could not have been as successful without your participation. You have interviewed, written to, emailed, and spoken to prospective students to create this class. Your time and efforts are a part of you being a Carl for life, and your contributions continue to make Carleton the place we love and will continue to love.
We like to believe that Carleton would not be what it is without us, and you being an AAR is just a part of continuing the development and growth of Carleton. You are helping others experience the Carleton we love. Thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do.
DICK TRENT ’88 BOARD CO-CHAIR
THANKS TO OUR AAR BOARD
I have worked with Alumni Admissions Representatives for four years now. Through that time, I have learned to lean on the expertise coming from the wide range of experiences that make up our board and our team. This year is especially tough for me to be saying goodbye, as this group joined the board the same year that I joined the Carleton admissions team. Included in this group are Nosipho Beaufort ’01, Sally Davis Ellwein ’94, Kevin Bui ’24, and Jevon Robinson ’22. Each of these members played a vital role during their four-year tenure, with both Kevin and Jevon joining the board as students. I am excited to continue to work closely with each of them and to see how the current board continues to shape and develop the ideas they put in motion. Ella Peoples ’25 will also be taking a year off from the board as she will be spending the year teaching English in Japan.
In addition to the departures of our board members, the AAR program is also saying goodbye to Phyllis Dixon. Phyllis has served as the beating heart of the AAR program since 2015 and is now moving to a new position in our office as the assistant to vice president and dean of admissions. We are sad to see her go, but we are incredibly thankful that she will be remaining close by to continue sharing her expertise.
With these departures, we are also welcoming new members of both the board and the AAR staff team. Please join me in welcoming Maya Theus ’00, Nick Stuart ’13, and our new student board member, Katelyn Harder ’26, along with new staff member Jadyn Navaira, who started with us in August!
Thank you to everyone who makes this program what it is!
CHRIS LEPPINK-SHANDS ’19
ASSISTANT DEAN OF ADMISSIONS FOR THE AAR PROGRAM
2024–2025
AAR Board
Nosipho Beaufort ’01
Kevin Bui ’24
Ross Chávez ’01 co-chair
Sally Davis Ellwein ’94 co-chair
Chase Garcia ’19
Mike Guritz ’15
Ruth Helgerud ’93
Dana Mackey ’12
Ella Peoples ’25
Jevon Robinson ’22
Raba Tefera ’21
Dick Trent ’88
Monica Welke ’10
Nick Leeke ’18
Mission
The Alumni Admissions Representative (AAR) Program partners enthusiastic alumni with the admissions office— to share our Carleton stories, to elevate the College’s national reputation, and to attract and recruit an applicant pool that enhances the character of Carleton in the quality, depth, and diversity of its student body.
Practice
We promote alumni connections, to the College and each other, via individual and collective engagement with prospective students and their families. In addition to communicating our personal knowledge of Carleton to prospective students, we also provide students with resources that highlight experiences they may have or are seeking, even if different from our own. In this way, AARs help prospective students understand how Carleton, one of the very best liberal arts colleges in the country, fits into their plan for achieving their life and career goals.
In April, we welcomed over 750 students and family members to campus for Carl Days. All of your hard work made this possible, so thank you! ➜
AARS BUILT THE CLASS OF 2029
28 college fairs
1,665 contacts made (postcards, emails, text, and phone)
