The Walker School Supports Students with Engaging Alumni Panels

With technology and ingenuity, schools are finding creative solutions to deliver meaningful education and outreach to their students and alumni during COVID. The Walker School is a perfect example as they recently launched Conversations with Alumni, an initiative that brings alumni back to campus to speak about their careers to upper school students.

It started with a survey to the senior class asking what industries students were most interested in learning about. After receiving feedback, Walker used Wavelength’s Alumni Search and Discover Tool to find alumni from these fields to speak with students. The most recent Conversations with Alumni included a panel of legal professionals who shared where they went to undergrad, law school, what they ultimately chose to practice and why. This was followed by a guided discussion led by Rebecca Avery, the Director of Alumni Relations.

By inviting alumni to share their experiences with current students, Rebecca promoted the value of community and showed how powerful Walker’s alumni network can be. Alumni felt valued and recognized by the school for being invited back to campus to share their insights. At the same time, students were inspired to think about their future and felt heard as they influenced what topics were to be covered.

The variety of panelists each had a different path to get into the legal profession and highlighted how decisions aren’t permanent and how careers and interests may change over time. They became more relatable to students as they shared their fondest memories on campus. Walker has provided an invaluable resource to their students by empowering them to choose their own paths with the certainty that they have a supportive community behind them.

Finding ways to bring community members of all ages together to learn from each other is one way to strengthen your alumni engagement. As you think through how you can support your alumni and students- career days, college guidance support, and special guest speakers are just a few ways to bring alumni back onto campus to inspire your current students to become leaders of the future.