More than 2,100 recent graduates returned to Homewood from Friday through Sunday for Young Alumni Weekend (YAW) to reconnect and network with their former classmates.
This year’s YAW had five percent more attendees than last year’s event. Seven hundred members of the Class of 2014 attended, along with 300 members of the Class of 2013, 125 members of the Class of 2011 and 150 members of the Class of 2012.
“The weekend is a chance to reunite with friends who have moved to various cities since graduating and can come back to one place they know well,” Eta Flamholz, an alumni relations associate in the Reunion and Homecoming Office, said. “Reuniting seems to be especially key for the most recent graduating class has only been off campus for three months and is still transitioning. For this class, Young Alumni Weekend is a chance to regroup and check-in with each other.”
Debra Schwitzer, a 2014 graduate who now works in consulting for Deloitte in New York City, said that YAW brought back fond memories of her undergraduate experience.
“You realize as the four years progress and certainly after you leave how great your experience at Hopkins was,” Schwitzer said. “It’s a really bittersweet feeling. You miss even the struggling nights, because everyone was in it together.”
The weekend kicked off Friday evening at Pratt Street Ale House.
On Saturday morning, the Class of 2014 reunited over a Bon Appétit-catered brunch, while current students had a chance to network at the Bridge 5 Luncheon. Classes of 2011 through 2013 gave advice about Hopkins and preparing for post-college life.
“[YAW] is definitely a chance for current students and alumni to meet and mingle,” Flamholz said. “Events like Bridge 5 mentorship are geared specifically toward this goal and are open to freshmen and sophomores as well.”
On Saturday night, a cappella groups including The Vocal Chords, AllNighters, Kranti, Ketzev and the Mental Notes collaborated for a special YAW concert. After the concert, the annual Tent Party was held outside Bloomberg Hall. Alumni and students over 21 enjoyed complimentary pizza and drinks.
“I think everyone had their fill of pizza and memories,” Malachy Duffy, a 2014 graduate said. Duffy is currently studying Elementary Education at the Hopkins School of Education.
Some of the returning alumni, including 2014 graduate Kyra Levy, reunited with members of their own class. Levy graduated after 3 years and is now working on a Masters in Neuroscience at Drexel University College of Medicine.
“I felt like nothing had changed,” Levy said. “My favorite part was seeing my friends, which is really different for me because I graduated early. All my friends are still at Hopkins. I wish I was still [here] with everyone, too.”
Although 700 members of the Class of 2014 returned for YAW, some soon-to-be graduates said that they worried about being able to afford the travel expenses to return to Baltimore after graduation.
“Once people have been working a steady job for a few years and have made relationships outside the Hopkins community, they seem less likely to come back for YAW,” senior Liza McGowen, who will graduate in December, said. “Depending on where I am and how expensive it is for me to come back, I plan on returning for YAW. But more than a couple of hundred dollars – probably not.”
To encourage young alumni to attend YAW regardless of their financial situation, the Reunion & Homecoming Office is in the process of offering programs that will alleviate travel costs for graduates who have moved far away from Baltimore.
“We’re working on programming and travel discounts specific to the classes that graduated three and four years out so that it’s easier for them to come back,” Flamholz said.
