The best way to understand the power of the “alumni effect” is to see it in action.
asserted
it → understand → action
Old Boys and Old Girls — private school terms for alums — often form tight networks that connect and support each other long after graduation.
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that → form → graduation
Take Griffin Bush: When he was in Grade 12 at Crescent School, an all-boys private school in Toronto, he was flipping through the school’s bi-annual alumni magazine and saw an Old Boy was the head of Raptors TV at the time.
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Boy → take → time
Bush was interested in the world of sports entertainment, so he reached out.
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he → reach → entertainment
“That’s how I found my first real job,” he said.
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he → ’ → job
It’s just one example of how the “brotherhood,” as Crescent refers to its alumni, sticks together, he said.
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he → ’ → alumni
“We like to say that one’s time at Crescent doesn’t just last for 12 years,” Bush said.
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Bush → like → years
“You’re connected for a lifetime, and that’s really powerful.”
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that → connect → lifetime
Bush has recently returned to the fold as the school’s alumni relations liaison.
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Bush → return → liaison
His job is to keep fostering the brotherhood, something the school takes seriously: They have alumni branches that host events all over the world, a LinkedIn group and a thriving alumni-student mentorship program to help organize internships and coffee chats.
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that → keep → internships
“One thing we’re really proud of is that our alum are present in the school experience,” Bush said, describing former students who stay involved with the school as guest speakers, team coaches and mentors.
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who → ’re → speakers
“They’re role models for our boys to see.”
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boys → ’re → ?
At Branksome Hall, a private day and boarding school for girls in Toronto, it’s not uncommon for alums to stay profoundly connected for the rest of their lives.
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alums → ’ → lives
“We often hear stories such as: ‘She was my maid of honour at my wedding.’
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She → hear → wedding
‘She helped me get my first job.’
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me → help → job
‘She is the godmother to my child,’ ” said Cristina Coraggio, chief advancement and engagement officer.
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Coraggio → say → child
According to Coraggio, more than a quarter of Old Girls engage with the school annually in some capacity.
uncertain
quarter → accord → capacity
They might do a talk about their post-school experience, mentor current students or volunteer on campus.
uncertain
They → do → campus
“It’s a powerful opportunity to see these fierce women come back to the school,” she said.
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she → ’ → school
As with Crescent, these connections can carry a powerful career advantage: Branksome has a LinkedIn group with more than 1,500 members and publishes a print and online Alum Internship Guide that highlights opportunities available via fellow graduates.
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that → carry → graduates
“One of our students, while in high school, reached out to an alum parent and fostered that relationship.
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One → reach → relationship
That alum helped her get her first entry job in finance,” said Coraggio.
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Coraggio → help → finance
“After a few years, another Branksome alum helped her find the next big job opportunity.
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her → help → opportunity
This alum is now actively helping other students and alums as well.
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alum → help → students
She is paying it back and forward.”
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She → pay → it
Havergal College, a private girls school also in Toronto, has seen their share of these “full circle moments,” said Kate Crokam, executive director of advancement.
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Crokam → see → advancement
Havergal looks at graduation not as a final farewell but “as a meaningful rite of passage into a lifelong sisterhood,” Crokam said.
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Crokam → look → sisterhood
“Our approach to our graduates is rooted in the deep conviction that the values, curiosity and courage cultivated during their school years should be actively nurtured throughout their entire lifetimes.
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values → root → lifetimes
They currently have a network of 10,000 Old Girls across 70 countries and take an “intentional” approach to keeping them engaged.
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They → have → them
They have a digital alum platform called Havergal Connections, regional hubs and class reps that organize get-togethers, a reunion weekend each fall for alum to come back to campus and an alumnae magazine.
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alum → have → campus
They also facilitate inter-generational alum connection, including networking events that connect recent grads with more established ones and a mentorship program specifically for Grade 12 students.
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that → facilitate → students
“When you choose a school, you are investing in far more than the academic years spent on campus.
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you → choose → campus
You are giving your child a lifetime of belonging and connection,” said Crokam.
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Crokam → give → belonging
“They hold a quiet key that opens doors in nearly every major city and industry worldwide.”
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that → hold → city
The Aporia
