Message from the Alumni Association President
T
his past summer, the Alumni Board of Directors had an assignment — to join the incoming first-year students in reading First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, a powerful memoir by our own Loung Ung, Class of 1993. The first-year students had a videoconference discussion with Loung on the first night of the fall semester. In mid-September, the Alumni Board was joined by the director of the FirstYear Seminar, Professor Peter Vantine, who led us in a discussion of this remarkable and haunting text. Loung and I were in political science classes together. I knew she was smart and driven, but I had no inkling of her harrowing childhood in Cambodia, her brave journey to Vermont, or the miraculous courage she possesses. It made me stop and think: What do we really know of our classmates when we’re in college? Do we follow their achievements once we’ve graduated?
There are over 20,000 Saint Michael’s alumni around the world. I would love to recognize more alumni and share their accomplishments; please feel free to contact me with your story or that of a friend. Thank you, Loung, for your bravery and for sharing your memoir with all of us. We’re extremely proud to count you as one of our own.
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First They Killed My Father is presented as the Saint Michael’s College Book Award to high school juniors in recognition of their “academic achievement with a social conscience.” If you’d like to volunteer to present the book award at a high school near you, feel free to e-mail khackett@smcvt.edu. The Alumni Board recently hosted the Eighth Annual Career Symposium, which brought over 50 alumni to campus to share their professional experiences and network with more than 125 students as they begin to choose their career paths. Many thanks to all who attended! We are calling on all of our graduates to help provide internships and job shadow opportunities to students.
There are numerous opportunities to engage with students and the life of the College. All of our alumni who volunteer become members of the Purple and Gold Society — we’d love for you to get involved. As always, we thank our donors for their continued financial generosity. It’s the percentage of alumni giving that matters most, so if you haven’t given this year, please consider a donation before year-end, during our giving challenge in the spring — or any time.
Lastly, I cannot close without mentioning the passing of Father Mike Cronogue. His gentle voice, kind words, twinkling eyes, generous hugs, and mischievous laughter will be dearly missed. Everyone admired and loved him — students, faculty, staff, and thousands of alumni — and he loved us right back. Please keep him in your prayers. Annie Rosello ’94 smcalumnipres@smcvt.edu