Alumni Weekend Reflection

On March 28th and 29th, the BLI hosted our annual winter alumni events, a weekend centered around the theme of “Fostering Wellness and Resilience.” As the BLI’s Lead Applied Fellow, I worked closely with our Alumni Liaison, Olivia O’Connell, to put these events together, including moderating our panel.
Our first set of events were on Friday, March 28th, beginning with the moderated panel. The Alumni Team and BLI Student Staff arrived at the Michigan League’s Vandenberg room to set up and delegate tasks. Before the panel, we welcomed our alumni and students with delicious hors d’oeuvres, settling into the room. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous during this time. Overall, however, I was excited and prepared to moderate. 

Sitting beside me on the panel were Ethan Hopper, Micalah Webster, Amy Saslekova, Carlena Toombs, and Shekinah Singletery, who shared insight from their diverse backgrounds on post-grad social lives, evolving work environments, and navigating identity. As a moderator, I adapted in the moment, with nerves fading quickly as I eased into the natural flow of our conversation. 

After the panel, we conducted a networking session for all 9 alumni and students, which included 4 additional BLI alumni: Roderick Hopkins, Becky Woolf, Alex Jordan, and Ryan Rich. I loved seeing attendees get to have deeper, more specific conversations with alumni. I personally sat at a table with our founder, Dave Barger, Roderick, and Amy!

At the end of the event, the team and I had the opportunity to attend a dinner with all 9 alumni at The Earle. It was wonderful to connect with everyone in a more informal setting. I was able to have a lot of great conversations with the alumni at my table about life, work, and future visions for the BLI’s alumni engagement efforts. And, of course, it goes without saying that the food was incredible :)

We ended our weekend with mindful and contemplative practices, led by BLI director Ram Mahalingam, the next morning on Saturday, March 29th. We started our morning with yoga, which made me feel stretched, rejuvenated, and ready for the day. We continued with Ram’s mindfulness curriculum, which was awesome to share and experience alongside alumni. 

Besides the BLI providing me all my meals for a full 48 hours, seeing these events come together from beginning to end has been incredibly rewarding. If you’re interested in staying engaged with the BLI and our Alumni Network, I highly recommend becoming a member, signing up for our newsletter, and attending future events to stay in the loop. For those who are already BLI members looking to establish their own connections, our new alumni database is available to you!

Thank you again to the Alumni Team, our 9 fantastic BLI Alumni, our student staff, and anyone who engaged with us during the weekend. As a senior, I’m honored that this was my last hoorah here at the BLI.