Southwestern Magazine | Spring 2021

ALUMN I ASSOC I AT I ON L E T T E R 6 | SOUTHWE S T E RN NEW CONNECTIONS Dear fellow alumni, This past year has been a turbulent one for all of us. Through its challenges, we have witnessed moments of hope, kindness, and community. Since the pandemic took hold of our lives, the South- western University Alumni Association has pivoted its initiatives, outreach, and programming to main- tain the close relationships that we value with one another and with our alma mater. From virtual events to student mentoring, Southwestern Pirates have connected with one another in new ways from around the globe. Many of these interactions will continue into the future so that we can further enhance the bonds we have, no matter the distance from Georgetown. The University’s new technology will continue to provide opportunities for us to gather virtually, both socially and professionally, and bring our own professional expertise to the current students on campus today. The Alumni Council continued to hold its triannual meetings during the pandemic using the University’s web conferencing system. During those meetings, we outlined initiatives that we believe are important to our alumni community and to the students actively on their academic journeys: • Offer internships through Southwestern connections. Internships and other high-impact experiences (e.g., study abroad, undergraduate research, and community-engaged learning) provide students with hands-on experience in their career fields of interest. Now more than ever, through virtual platforms, students can support and learn from companies and organizations around the world. The Alumni Council plans to reach out to alumni, trustees, parents, and friends of the University to encourage them to consider hosting a Southwestern student for an internship opportunity. • Develop spaces for conversations regarding diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity. We want to celebrate our individuality as members of the Southwestern community and create opportunities to learn from one another. We plan to host programming for both our on-campus and off-campus communities. • Provide alumni support to first-generation college students. We want our first-generation alumni to openly share their journeys so that current students feel welcomed and appreciated. To meet this measure, we will offer panel discussions on campus and virtually. We also will continue to match first-generation students and alumni in our mentoring program. Approximately 20% of the first- year class identifies as first-generation students. Therefore, we especially seek the engagement of our first-generation alumni to share their experiences. I hope that you will join us on this quest to create a better and more vibrant community for us as alumni and for the next generation of Pirates. If you have questions or want to get involved, please email alumni@southwestern.edu . Sincerely, Miguel Zorrilla ’92 President, Southwestern University Alumni Association 2020–2022 Alumni Council Officers Miguel Zorrilla ’92 (Austin, Texas), president Craig McKinney ’91 (Dallas, Texas), president-elect Sherri Haygood Babcock ’70 (Chautauqua, New York) Isaac Bernal ’13 (San Antonio, Texas) Dorothy G. Caldwell ’92 (Austin, Texas) Angela Cobos ’02 (Bryan, Texas) Alice Hardt Dorsey ’95, P’22, P’24 (Pearland, Texas) Becca Horton Epperley ’07 (Richardson, Texas) Chip Evans ’94, P’24 (Austin, Texas) Bruce Gilmour ’74, P’05 (Midland, Texas) Elizabeth Guillory Medina ’97 (Pflugerville, Texas) Samanda Rivera-Hoover ’10 (Houston, Texas) Max Schein ’22 (Houston, Texas)