Winter/Spring 2019/Issue Five
ALUMNI NEWS
FROM THE DEAN’S DESK This past November, a small but spirited band of PrattMWP alumni reunited at the Emerson Bar, adjacent to the Pratt Campus. Mother Nature decided to give an air of authenticity to the gathering of Munsonites by contributing an unexpected gift of several inches of wet, slushy snow in Brooklyn. The Emerson, operated by PrattMWP alumna and brilliant painter Gina Jankowsky, hosted the event. Jankowsky said her establishment continues to entertain PrattMWP alumni, and she enjoys meeting new students as they relocate to the Pratt campus. We were joined by MWPAI President Anna D’Ambrosio and several faculty members as we met up with former students, ranging from the first year of the Pratt affiliation to students settling into their first semester on the Pratt campus. Though many years separated this group, it became clear that their shared experiences and fond memories of the faculty, the staff, and Utica were elements that sparked lively conversations and remembrances into the evening. There were also some reunions of classmates who, although they had gone through the program together and lived in the same area, hadn’t had the opportunity to get together because of their busy careers. The event resulted in some welcome advice from more-established alumni, as well as casual networking and follow-up engagements. I was particularly moved by how quickly the gaps of time vanished, and I delighted at seeing former students and hearing their stories in person as they embellished their stories I had seen on social media telling me of the work they are doing and relating it back to things and discussions we had in the classrooms.
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