Advancing Alumni The Advancement Office has been hard at work this year to develop new avenues for alumni connection and engagement with the school. BY JOHANNA LEE ’13
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BEYOND KING’S
APPlying the Alumni Network In February, the Advancement Office, in partnership with the King’s Academy Alumni Association (KAAA), launched two mobile applications to encourage alumni interconnection and networking and to provide career services and mentoring. “We as a school have a long-lasting relationship with our alumni,” explains Rami Abi Jomaa, chief advancement officer at King’s. “These alumni apps are one of several avenues that build up our alumni relations program in order to nurture this lifelong relationship and network for our alumni.” The applications, available for mobile download and desktop access, provide access to two different platforms. The King’s Academy Community Platform allows alumni to connect with one another through its social network and mentoring program. Alumni can create and join closed groups by location, topic and class year; message one another; share photos and post job openings at their organizations. The mentorship tool matches alumni in similar fields or with similar interests, allowing alumni to share their knowledge, guidance and connections with one another. The other application, Localized, is a career services platform that provides alumni with exclusive access to career-seeking and building advice, virtual job fairs and webinars led by industry experts. “One thing that’s great about Localized is that it’s focused more on the Middle Eastern aspect,” says Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Officer Atithya Ghai. Localized connects King’s alumni with industry experts and hiring employers across the Middle East and beyond, and provides content in both Arabic and English. Thanks to the KAAA Board and other alumni who have generously given their time, both apps went through a quality assurance and testing process prior to being fully launched. “The point of these apps is community-building, affinitybuilding, and making sure that alumni still feel connected to their alma mater years after graduating,” explains Ghai.
“We want alumni to know that we at King’s want to care for them through career services, having events on campus and around the world, and making them feel like King’s is still home for them.”
Find out more To learn more about the alumni platforms and register online, visit: https://www.kingsacademy.edu.jo/ alumni/portals.
Did you know? Class rings are traditionally worn on the fourth finger of the right hand. If the wearer is still a student, they should wear the ring with the school insignia facing inward. Upon graduation, the wearer can turn the insignia to face outward.
King’s Bling During their time at King’s, students receive several mementos that can be cherished for many years after their graduation, including their freshman time capsule letter, art class creations, senior jackets and graduation caps and gowns. The school is adding another keepsake for alumni to remember and celebrate their connection to the school and to one another: a class ring. The rings are made of silver and feature the lion insignia and school name in English and Arabic. Each ring will have the year of graduation engraved on the inner band. Alumni can order their class ring by visiting the Advancement Office or sending an email to alumni@kingsacademy.edu. jo and specifying their class year and ring size. A portion of the ring sales will go towards supporting student scholarships.
Alumni Cards The benefits of a King’s Academy education last a lifetime. With the new alumni membership cards, these benefits are more tangible than ever. The cards offer exclusive perks to all KAAA members, like access to campus, the library and gym and will serve, in the near future, as a loyalty card at various retailers, restaurants and service providers in Jordan. Alumni should upload a passport-style photo online (https:// www.kingsacademy.edu.jo/alumni/ id-form) to register for their card, which can be picked up at the Advancement Office. SPRING 2021
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