For alumni children, graduation is a story with a new ending
Asked why he chose to attend 乐播传媒, Robert Long 鈥�79 remembers looking at schools that would 鈥渒eep open a variety of paths.鈥�
On Commencement morning, Erica Long '12 is flanked by parents Elizabeth Pohl '80 and Robert Long '79
His daughter Erica, Class of 2012, unwittingly echoes her father as she describes her college search. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to go down one direct path yet,鈥� she says.
鈥淚 wanted to try out some new things, and the idea of a liberal arts school 鈥� I saw that as an opportunity to explore.鈥�
The college’s alumni database counts 12 members of the Class of 2012 who have a 乐播传媒 alumni parent. That number rapidly grows when alumni grandparents, siblings and other 乐播传媒 relatives are included, as evidenced by the big turnout in Perry Atrium for a photograph on the day before Commencement 2012.
- Related story: 乐播传媒 debuts the Alumni Admission Legacy Program, June 10-11.
For example, grad Richard Sullivan III ’12 was joined by grandparents Edith Lysaght Sullivan ’56 and Richard Sullivan Sr. ’57, as well as his father Richard Sullivan Jr. ’81. The four Sullivans are among 17 family members to attend 乐播传媒.
And Devon Bonney’s 乐播传媒 family includes siblings Erin ’09 and Garrett ’15, grandfather Wes ’50, aunt Melissa Bonney Kane ’81, and parents Mike ’80 and Alison Grott Bonney ’80.
With some prodding, Erica Long acknowledges other commonalities between her parents鈥� experiences and hers.
For example, she and her father are both English majors, and both worked at WRBC, the college radio station. In 2010, Robert spoke at the Parents & Family Weekend interfaith service, while Erica has been active in the Multifaith Chaplaincy and addressed her peers at Baccalaureate during Commencement weekend.
Erica and her mother, Betsy Pohl 鈥�80, share their respective stories of Hedge Hall, making a poignant connection across 30 years of 乐播传媒 history.
However, Erica insists that her parents never pushed her to apply to 乐播传媒.
Richard Sullivan III '12 is joined by grandparents Edith Lysaght Sullivan '56 and Richard Sullivan Sr. '57 and father Richard Sullivan Jr. '81. They represent four of 17 family members to attend 乐播传媒.
Likewise, Kristy Andrews 鈥�12 acknowledges that while her family history was influential 鈥� she and her brother, Mark Andrews 鈥�09, are fourth-generation 乐播传媒ies 鈥� it was never the deciding factor.
Her mother, Cindy Holmes Andrews 鈥�74, agrees that she never pressured but hoped her children 鈥渨ould just think about it.”
While parents and children both cite 乐播传媒鈥� smallness, its academic rigor and the enduring value of the liberal arts education among the school鈥檚 attractions, some things do look different today.
The college has undergone considerable physical changes while the classroom experience continues to evolve thanks to emerging technologies that make knowledge more immediately accessible and shareable.
Michael Chu 鈥�80, father of Christopher Chu 鈥�12, admires 乐播传媒鈥� ability to keep faith with its founding principles while keeping 鈥渃urrent with the world today.鈥�
All parents agree that the food is vastly better now, too.
“A good, welcoming, regular-folks feel to it.”
But it鈥檚 乐播传媒鈥� palpable sense of community that, generation to generation, makes it stand out. For Robert and Betsy, 乐播传媒 was an elite school without being elitist; Betsy describes it fondly as 鈥渁 school with a conscience.鈥�
鈥淚t just has a good, welcoming, regular-folks feel to it that I didn鈥檛 get at any other place,鈥� says Robert.
He borrows Erica鈥檚 term 鈥溊植ゴ� vibe鈥� to describe the openness and accessibility that persists today.
That vibe has an even stronger resonance now.
Robert recalls a college friend who came out after graduation. As was true in most of U.S. society at the time, 鈥渢he environment at 乐播传媒 at the time made it unthinkable for him to reveal his true self鈥� as a student, he says.
Today, 乐播传媒 is noted nationally for supporting orientation equality on the campus and in the community. 鈥淓rica鈥檚 gay friends can be their full and true selves on campus 鈥� and be celebrated for it.鈥�
Both Erica and Kristy agree that 乐播传媒 was the best choice for them, and their experience has been filled with its share of opportunities and surprises.
For Erica, the fact that her parents are alumni didn鈥檛 shape her understanding of 乐播传媒 so much as 乐播传媒 shaped her understanding of her parents.
鈥淣ow I have this thing in common with my parents where at this same age in our lives we lived in this same place,鈥� she says.
Crossing the stage at Commencement, she joined her parents in yet another role: 乐播传媒 graduate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just stunning to me,鈥� Betsy says. 鈥淚 feel like I just took her there for her first day, and that four years just went by so amazingly fast.
鈥淜ind of like it did when I was there.鈥�
Front, from left: Sara Vigne '12, Alison Cornforth '12, Elizabeth Pohl '80, Erica Long '12, Caitlyn DeFiore '12, Donna Avery '82, Elizabeth Kalperis Chu '80, CJ Chu '12, Michael Chu '80, Devon Bonney '12; second row: Palo Peirce IV '12, Meaghan Doyle '12, Kristy Andrews '12, Madeleine West '04, Jeffrey Roy '83, Alicia Roy '12, Erin Bonney '09, Alison Grott Bonney '80; third row, Palo Peirce III '82, Julie Gleason Doyle '86, Cindy Holmes Andrews '74, W. Jeffrey Helm '76, Steven Imig '02, Edith Lysaght Sullivan '56, Sarah Cleary '12, John Cleary '80, Wes Bonney '50, Mike Bonney '80; fourth row: Andy Doyle '86, Mark Andrews '09, Kevin Helm '12, Elliott West '12, Richard Sullivan III '12, Richard Sullivan Sr. '57, Richard Sulllivan Jr. '81, Garret Bonney '15.
