Letter from the Alumni Board President

Saint Michael’s College invited the Class of 2020 back to celebrate its graduation in person on the beautiful campus grounds on September 17. I had the honor and privilege of attending and officially welcoming this group of graduates into the Saint Michael’s College Alumni Association. It was a beautiful time of year to be on campus with a hint of fall and the feeling of excitement in the air, celebrating the return to campus for both current students and recent graduates.

As I sat up front waiting for the graduates to make their way to their seats, I listened to the traditional skirl from the St. Andrews Pipeband of Vermont leading the way amid the presence of students who lined the pathway and cheered these former students on, welcoming them back to campus to celebrate their amazing accomplishment. It was such a beautiful reminder of the sense of community that is Saint Michael’s College. And in thinking about my own experience as a student and now as an alumna, I am reminded of a wonderful Wendell Berry quote shared with me by my political science advisor, Bill Wilson: “Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone.”

We all discovered different classes, events, professors, and friends while at St. Mike’s which led us on different career paths after we graduated, yet it is that common bond—the community of Saint Michael’s College—that grounds us and keeps us close. As we continue on our journey through life, make new discoveries, and become part of new communities, it is my hope that our appreciation for the Saint Michael’s College community always stays near and dear to our hearts.

Staying connected to the Saint Michael’s College community is easy to do: attend and/or volunteer for alumni events in your own community, nominate a future knight and/or represent the College at a local college fair, make a gift, participate in virtual events sponsored by the College, and go back for Reunion. For those of you whose reunions were canceled because of the pandemic, make plans

with your roommates and other St. Mike’s friends and head back to Burlington. Trust me, you will feel rejuvenated and refreshed by beautiful Vermont and that awesome Saint Michael’s community we call home.

Suzanne Leous ’86