The ink barely dry on their
diplomas and certificates, hundreds of new graduates of Grossmont and Cuyamaca
colleges joined together for a recent networking party and Padres game to throw
the opening pitch for a new alumni association.
Some 350 graduates and guests feted
their recent accomplishment by joining in Grad Fest hosted July 1 by the
Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges to launch the new
organization. The association, created for the colleges’ alum to stay connected
to East County’s only public institutions of higher education, will be led by
an alumni council made up by the grads who will decide future activities and
events.
The networking party at the Fox
Sports Grill with raffles, noshing and job-hunting advice from the East County
Career Center was followed by a march across a pedestrian bridge to Petco Park
to watch the San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds. Raffle prizes
included John Legend and Lorde concert tickets, courtesy of event partner
California Coast Credit Union, and a getaway retreat from another partner,
Sycuan Golf and Tennis Resort.
“I think the alumni association is a great idea,” said Andrey Artamonov, a graduate of Grossmont College’s nursing program who just received word that he had gotten a nursing position in the intensive-care unit at Alvarado Hospital. “It will foster a lot of communication and I think it’s a way for us to keep contact, which is always a difficult thing once you leave a place.”
The
graduates got the word about Grad Fest during commencement ceremonies last
month, where bags of Cracker Jacks were handed out with invitation notes
attached.
“Alumni
associations are certainly nothing new at the four-year institutions, but this
is relatively new territory for community colleges,” said John Valencia, Grossmont-Cuyamaca
Community College District associate vice chancellor of Advancement and
Communications and Foundation CEO. “We want to replicate the success that the universities have had
creating stronger allegiances to alma maters that lead to greater donor
support.”
The graduates, who posed for photos
holding up portable whiteboards with messages of support, are grateful for the
education they’ve received from the colleges.
“I (heart) Grossmont Nursing,” reads
the message from Molly Quillin-McEwan, who just graduated from Grossmont
College’s nursing program and is set to continue her training at San Diego
State University in the fall with an eye toward working in a hospital’s
intensive-care unit.
“The alumni association will generate
money and interest in college programs, so for that, the alumni association
would be great,” said Quillin-McEwan, who ultimately wants to acquire a Doctor
of Nursing Practice degree and return to Grossmont College to teach.
Cuyamaca College graduate Shelane
Paraiso, 45, whose “I (heart) Cuyamaca” whiteboard message included the
notation, “I was not the oldest student on campus!,” said she wasn’t sure how
she would fit in with others on campus.
“I thought I’d be one of the older
people and I wasn’t. I didn’t feel out of place,” said Paraiso, who received
her degree in math and science and will next begin classes in Grossmont
College’s respiratory therapy program.
Anjanette Maraya-Ramey, the
foundation’s alumni and donor relations coordinator, said participation in Grad
Fest exceeded expectations. Surveys distributed at Grad Fest included an
opportunity to participate in the alumni council and, so far, more than a dozen
have indicated interest.
“We want this very much to be an
alumni-driven group,” she said, adding that the next steps include following up
with event attendees and sending out an inaugural alumni newsletter. “The
council will be the steering committee shaping the future direction of the
alumni association.”
