This year’s Trinity University Alumni Weekend took place from Oct. 24-27 with over 1,000 alumni and friends of Trinity in attendance. Several activities such as Block Party, Alumni Career Engagement (ACE), Fiesta with the Faculty and a Football Tailgate connected alumni as they celebrated.
The weekend offered three packages for different prices, the Basic, the Block Party and All Access that offered several experiences. The Alumni Association worked with 15 departments on campus to execute Alumni Weekend. It engaged about 60 volunteers and 50 staff members, with Trinity University Student Ambassadors playing a major role in checking in and greeting guests. Ryan Finnelly, senior director of Alumni Relations, stated the challenges of preparing the program.
“One of the biggest challenges for us is creating awareness that Alumni Weekend is happening and finding ways to meet people and deliver the information to alumni who live all over the world,” Finnelly said. “We try to communicate that out in as many different ways as possible, through email, various platforms on social media and some hard mailed pieces. We also try to encourage people by word of mouth.”
The Alumni Association made many changes to each part of the programming, with the main theme being Trinity Rodeo.
“One of the new things that we added was a Multicultural Brunch that was really well received. We saw nearly 150 registrations for that event. We also added a focus on Career Engagement [ACE] for our alumni, we offered three courses focused on career development and financial health, and those were also strong registration,” Finnelly said.
Danny Nguyen, class of 2024 and current marketing specialist at Frost Bank, noted the importance of alumni connections for career development and encouraged current students to engage with alumni during events.
“As a young alumni that just graduated a couple months ago, the alumni connection is so important. … [The] Trinity community is a small but mighty crowd, and this alumni network is one that’s willing to help whenever we can,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen advised students to have fun during their time at Trinity. He also shared some of his favorite memories at Trinity and plans to come back in the future.
“My favorite Trinity tradition is still Christmas on Oakmont. … Everyone in the community comes down to Oakmont, getting to eat food, share drinks, build community and enjoy the holiday spirit. It’s one of the most memorable things that I’ll always remember,” Nguyen said.
As a member of Kappa Kappa Delta, Ridge Holder, sophomore math major, shared the challenges of preparing for the weekend.
“I think the biggest challenge that we face is the standards of the organization have changed compared to 20 years ago. Preparing for some difficult questions can be the hardest part, because sometimes older alumni may not be as accepting to change as we are,” Holder said.
Moreover, Alumni Weekend offers a variety of different events to meet and network with Trinity alumni. The Football Tailgate is a highlight of Alumni Weekend.
“Greek life, for sure, Thursdays is the big one, with a bunch of alumni out there. Then I would also say the Tailgate is a really good thing. A lot of people believe me, at the Tailgate for the football game, they’re just both fun, really social settings,” Holder said.
Fawzul Mohamad Miah, first-year accounting major, stated his favorite event was the Football Tailgate.
“The [Tigers] really showed out and showed up, that’s for sure. I just felt true school spirit at that game, especially with the alumni,” Miah said. “It’s nice to get involved with the older alumni. It’s like a good way to make connections and offer unique perspectives. ”
Next Alumni Weekend will be Jan. 26, 2025.
