2018 – Spring ’21 Class Letter
Greetings, Class of 2018!
What seems like the longest year of our lives has finally come to a close. Some of us have changed jobs, moved cities, adopted pets, or completed other various life milestones. Despite all of the different things we have been up to we all have one thing in common, resilience. This year brought a lot of challenges and things we weren’t prepared for, but hopefully from this experience, you’ve found something positive. Perhaps you picked up a new skill or rediscovered an old hobby. Maybe you used this time to connect with an old friend or reflect on your current job or living situation. Whatever that may be, we’re hoping you’ve come out on the other side of this stronger and more aware of who you are and where you want to be.
Perhaps this sounds corny but many of us, three years post-graduation, are still working through what’s next. It is normal to question what we are supposed to do with our lives or who we are supposed to be. All this free time spent inside our homes has allowed us more space to question these things. Wherever you are in your life right now we hope you find clarity and peace.
The College has announced plans for this summer’s Alumni Weekend. Alumni Weekend 2021 will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen with two distinct summer weekends of Ripon alumni programming for us. No matter how you’d like to connect, virtually or in person, the Office of Constituent Engagement is developing a variety of activities to continue to follow CDC, Fond du Lac County and College guidelines in both June and August. Full schedules, lodging, and programming details will be posted soon to www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend.
JUNE 2021
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In honor of our June Alumni Weekend traditions, virtual alumni programming will be held Tuesday, June 22 through Saturday, June 26, and will include: an alumni town hall, R Connections webinars, affinity socials, a summer book club, and special recognition of the 2020 and 2021 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees.
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The only in-person event, the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble, will be held off-campus on Friday, June 25.
AUGUST 2021
A combination of virtual and in-person Alumni Weekend programming will be held the first week of August. We will continue to evaluate the state of COVID-19. If circumstances change at the local and national level and we need to cancel in-person programming, that decision will be made and communicated by July 1, 2021.
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Virtual programming will be held Tuesday, August 3 through Saturday, August 7 and will include: a reunion-focused alumni town hall that also previews the new academic year, additional R Connections webinars, the summer book club capstone, and the traditional “That Was Then” storytelling session.
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In-person, on-campus programming will be held Friday, August 6 through Sunday, August 8, and will focus on alumni awards recognition, 2020 and 2021 reunion celebrations, and other outdoor events such as Rally Run and prairie walk.
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Additionally, the Class of 2020 will officially be welcomed to our alumni community with a special commencement ceremony.
Given our climate and state of things as your Class Agents, we did not want to push too hard for life updates this cycle. We hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. As a reminder, the Class of 2018 has a Facebook group you can use to be updated on all things Ripon College. If you’d like to be added please reach out to one of us. You can also send us updates on your life any time of the year. We will make sure they’re included in the next letter.
Sincerely,
LAUREN HINCE ’18
(763) 706-7473
HOLLY ERICKSON ’18
(262) 497-7796
ELEANORE MUELLER WOOD ’18
(920) 539-2935