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Advocates of the Griffin
News of the Alumni Association • Connecting Reed Alumni Around the Globe
EDITED BY KATIE RAMSEY ’04 AND CARRIE SAMUELS
You’re the best, Reedies.
Our alumni do it all. From sharing recipes with fellow Reedies, to hosting gatherings with fellow physics professionals (and enthusiasts), to reimagining the Reed campus in Minecraft—we can’t think of a more exciting community to be a part of.
Reedies offer a unique perspective to every conceivable endeavor and thrive everywhere. Whether it be at Reunions or Reed on the Road, you can count on Reedies for quality conversations and an all-around good time.
Reed has an inspiring group of committed alumni volunteers whose dedication to the college and extraordinary contributions of time, expertise, and passion enable us to provide an unparalleled education. Alumni volunteers spend their valuable time organizing events, mentoring current students, and investing in the future through initiatives such as Alumni Fundraising for Reed.
Reed alumni are generous with their time and dollars. We rely on our community of philanthropic alumni to make gifts to the college, year after year. We see the impact of your contributions from the library to the canyon, and everywhere in between.
The world just wouldn’t be the same without Reedies. You’re simply the best.
Westwind Weekend: October 14–16, 2022
From the early ’60s through the early ’90s, students at Reed spent a weekend in the fall enjoying surf, sand, a talent show, green eggs and ham, and the unique setting that is Westwind on the Oregon coast. Alumni revived the tradition in 2002 with a familyfriendly approach. Learn more about this annual weekend trip at alumni.reed.edu /westwind.
Don’t forget to make your gift again this year!
Every year, Reed relies on the generosity of our alumni community to offer a world-class education. June 30, 2022, is the last day to have your gift counted for this fiscal year.
Reedies who make a gift three or more fiscal years in a row are eligible to join the Loyal Owl Society. You can specifically dedicate your gift to financial aid, the library, wherever it is most needed, and more. Visit reed.edu/givenow to make your gift today.
If you’d like to help encourage other alumni to make their gifts before the fiscal year ends, consider joining the honorable legion of Alumni Fundraising for Reed volunteers. You can also help us spread the word on social media. Email alumni@reed. edu to sign up.
Advancing Reed: September 23–25, 2022
We are delighted to let you know that we have landed on a date for this fall’s Forum for Advancing Reed (FAR). FAR is Reed’s official volunteer weekend, and our office works closely with volunteers who serve Reed in a variety of ways—from creating new and exciting opportunities for alumni to connect, to mobilizing the community around fundraising campaigns. We are planning for an in-person weekend and look forward to seeing you there.
Alumni Xenia 2022 finishes strong
Reedies are renowned for their fierce intellect and tenacity, but also for their commitment to changing the world. The alumni board’s Alumni Xenia 2022 initiative proved that once again. Over 400 alumni signed up this year to tell us the hows and whys of the good works they are up to in their communities. From donating blood, to serving as hospice volunteers, to distributing food to local community fridges, Reedies are filling the world with hope. Visit alumni.reed. edu to see and learn more about some of this year’s participants.
Westwind Weekend on the Oregon coast is October 14–16.
Diversity and Inclusion Committee holds event for BIPOC students
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee held a luncheon and panel discussion for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in January. The event was a huge success, with 40 attendees enjoying lunch from local BIPOC-owned restaurant Everybody Eats PDX and a discussion with BIPOC alumni about how they navigated leaving the “Reed bubble.” Many thanks to alumni board president alea adigweme ’06, who moderated the panel, and to Carmen García Durazo ’11, Evan Hayashi ’02, and Paapa hMensa ’15 for serving as panelists. Reed’s Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) was a pivotal partner in helping shape the event and get the word out to students. The DIC looks forward to collaborating with the MRC on more events for students in the future.
Nominate yourself or someone you know for the Alumni Board!
The alumni board and the Alumni Programs and Annual Fund office invite nominations for service on the board. The nominations committee seeks alumni who are demonstrated leaders with a capacity for creativity, dedication, and resourcefulness that can help further the goals of one of the board’s three committees: Committee for Young Alumni, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Reed Career Alliance. Reed’s alumni board is a global service board dedicated to the mission of creating the best possible alumni experience through the work of its committees. The alumni board recruits for and oversees its working committees, which carry out programs and initiatives to benefit the alumni community. If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone you know, please scan the QR code to access the nomination form. Nominations are due by Saturday, July 16, 2022.
MICHAEL POLLAN, SECOND NATURE: A GARDENER'S EDUCATION, 1991
Consider a gift to Reed in your estate plans to honor your past and provide for Reed’s future.
The Eliot Society celebrates donors who make a gift to Reed in their estate or who establish a life income gift to benefit Reed. This tradition of generosity reaches back to Reed's roots—the college itself was established through a bequest from the estates of Simeon and Amanda Reed in 1908. The society is named for Thomas Lamb Eliot, who first suggested to Simeon and Amanda Reed that they use their financial resources to found an institution of learning in Portland.
If you’ve already made a gift to Reed in your will or trust, please let us know so we may thank you and welcome you into the Eliot Society. Contact Kathy Saitas to learn more about including Reed in your legacy planning: 503-777-7573 giftplanning@reed.edu reed.edu/legacyplanning
GRADUATING BOLD, CLEAR THINKERS SINCE 1915
It has been a year since the Reed College class of 2021 graduated, and their persistence, resilience, and initiative in the midst of the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, injustice, and climate change are heartening and inspiring.
The class of 2021 has begun to translate their rigorously intellectual Reed education into action, and they are now pursuing their individual and collective purposes in the world.
More than 83 percent of the class of 2021* found their first destination in the workforce or continuing education within six months of graduation.
The scholars who graduate from Reed are formidable thinkers capable of solving the most intellectually difficult problems facing the world today. Reedies are known for their immense capacity to tackle important humanistic, social, scientific, commercial, technical, and civic challenges. And tackle they have, graduating from Reed to start careers as educators, artists, designers, performers, research analysts, lab technicians, software engineers, financial analysts, computer scientists, social scientists, and so much more.
Reed alumni contribute to meaningful change in the communities and industries they serve.
Reed’s global network of alumni, parents, and friends has been one of the college’s greatest resources, ensuring the success of each graduating class. Members of this extended community host job shadows, hire interns, fund career and research experiences, and share their expertise. These invaluable connections are giving the class of 2021 a strong foothold in their career communities, setting the stage for them to offer similar connections to future generations of Reedies.
Please join me in celebrating and supporting the ongoing success of the class of 2021.
*Data and outcomes represent 245 members (76 percent) of the class of 2021 by survey and secondary sources and are rounded to the nearest whole percent.
ALICE HARRA
Associate Dean of Students and Director of Center for Life Beyond Reed
Class of 2021—Beyond Reed
EMPLOYMENT
Six out of ten graduates landed jobs with innovative companies and institutions. Examples include the following:
Microsoft | software engineer Intel | artificial intelligence Grow Portland | garden educator Embassy of France | English language assistant Wyoming Game & Fish | biologist technician CreativeX | web engineer Oregon Social Learning Center | research Amazon | Cloud support Google | software engineer Neoto Robotics | Python engineer PerCapita Group | analyst Parametric | portfolio analyst The Cadmus Group | research Character Lab | research
Senator Jeff Merkley | political organizing Portland Water Bureau | lab tech
US Department of Defense | nuclear reactor tech The Veterans Association (VA) Portland | researcher
GRADUATE SCHOOLS AND NATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS
Twenty-three percent of graduates continued their education, starting doctorates and masters programs at elite institutions. Examples include the following:
Harvard | education
University of Chicago | social sciences Columbia | chemistry Duke | electrical and computer engineering UC Berkeley | industrial engineering and operations research University of Oregon | architecture UCLA | computer science Dartmouth | nuclear cell biology University of Aberdeen | Scandinavian studies Portland State University | geography Rutgers | food science Fulbright U.S. Student Program Watson Foundation National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
INDUSTRY OUTCOMES
EDUCATION
BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
TECH, ENGINEERING, OPERATIONS
OTHER
RESEARCH
HEALTH CARE
NONPROFIT, SOCIAL SERVICES
LAW, POLICY, GOVERNMENT
COMMUNICATIONS, DESIGN, MEDIA
SUSTAINABILITY
CULTURE, ARTS, PERFORMANCE 24%
14%
11%
10%
9%
9%
6%
6%
5%
3%
3%
