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Ambassadors Program Connects Current Students and Alumni By LAUREN MCMINN
It is 7:50 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. One by one, they start filtering in, a little bleary-eyed, lacking coffee and a few "Z's." They begin chatting about last night's rehearsal, the upcoming performance, the issues surrounding the presidential election … Then, 10 minutes later at 8 a.m., bolstered by a cup of joe and a bite of bagel, these 12 Juilliard students, representing all three divisions, are ready to focus. At one of their monthly morning meetings, they are now ready to "talk alumni."
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| Current Vocal Arts student Adrian Kramer, 2004-05 Student Ambassadors Chad Sloan and Aaron Blake, and 2003-04 Student Ambassador Amy Buckley (MM '04) met alumna Renée Fleming ('86) for a Tower Records signing of her new record, Handel (Universal Classics), on September 15. (Photo by Elizabeth Baisley) |
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These select students—recommended by faculty, staff, and fellow students—have joined the 2004-05 Student Alumni Ambassador Program. Begun last year with nine students, the program has now expanded to include 12: Chad Sloan and Aaron Blake (voice); François Battiste, Mauricio Salgado, and Rutina Wesley (drama); Armando Braswell, Laura Careless, and Bryna Pascoe (dance); Willie Applewhite (jazz); Laura Poe (collaborative piano); Chenxin Xu (piano); and Nathalie Joachim (flute).The group's mission is to work as a team with the Office of Alumni Relations, strategically connecting current students and alumni of the School. This involves planning and executing events that bring students and alumni together, offering creative input on programs and communication channels for alumni and students, and serving as the general representative voices for their divisions regarding alumni relations.Members of the group realize how important it is for current students and alumni to connect. Making that link, says Sloan, "is important not only for the School, but for us as students, to have a clearer view of what life outside of these walls is like for artists." Battiste, a new member this year, believes it is vital for students in all divisions "to have a practical perspective with which to gauge their individual possibilities upon graduation. Establishing communication with someone who has charted similar waters should, at the very least, supply one with a comparative outlook that will assist in making the transition from training to the strong reality of being an artist."Wesley, participating for the second year, explains: "Alumni have answers to questions that we couldn't always ask faculty members. They are in the real world, living it, and they have insight into things that will help students make the transition into their careers with more resources and confidence."Before the Student Ambassador program was created, there had been no tangible connection at Juilliard between the student body and the Alumni Relations Office. Many students were unaware of the wonderful resources and benefits available to them once they leave the School—not to mention the actual location of the Alumni Office itself. (It is in Room 208.)The Student Ambassador program was a hit in its first year, sponsoring more than a dozen events and programs. One of the most productive events so far is called Lunch With an Alum, which invites distinguished alumni back to the School to have lunch with students, who get to ask questions and garner advice in an intimate setting.Last year, dance students wanted to meet Dudley Williams, a Juilliard alumnus who has been a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater since 1964. Student Ambassador Armando Braswell facilitated the luncheon discussion on May 11 with Mr. Williams and more than 30 dance students, who gathered in the Board Room. For Braswell, "the luncheon setting made things more relaxed and, even though we were talking to a legend, all the students felt comfortable enough to ask the questions they wanted. His stories about his career were amazing."
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| Dance students met with dance alumnus Dudley Williams (’60) for Lunch With an Alum on May 11 in the Board Room. (Photo by Jamée Ard) |
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For orchestral musicians, Lunch With an Alum on May 7 brought back to the School alumnus Bob Neu, vice president and general manager of the Minnesota Orchestra. Neu offered advice to students on many topics, but most specifically on the orchestral audition process—both from the organizational and individual perspective. Student Ambassador Gary Gatzke (who has since joined the Alumni Office after graduating with his master's degree last year) helped coordinate the event, and said, "It was great to meet a successful and happy Juilliard alumnus who has taken a path different from his original field of study."Student ambassadors worked last year to promote the first-ever Student Photo Competition. Photo submissions from current students that captured a sense of life at Juilliard were judged and produced into a 2004-05 calendar as a gift to the 2004 graduates. Because of the calendar's success, the group plans to make the Student Photo Competition a yearly event, with this year's competition beginning in early November. (Details on the contest are on Page 27.)As representatives for the student body, student ambassadors are often called upon when prestigious alumni visit the School. At last year's commencement, for example, they escorted the honorary doctorate recipients. Escorting Dame Judi Dench was the best part of being a student ambassador for Rutina Wesley. "She is such an inspiration to me, and just by talking with her, I felt like I could do anything that I put my mind to. She made me believe that being an African-American actress shouldn't limit me from doing all sorts of roles in the theater. For example, in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, Cleopatra has often been played by African-American actresses—but, as Dame Judi said to me, 'I could play Cleopatra too.'"At a recent CD signing at Tower Records on September 15 for alumna Renée Fleming's newest CD (Handel, on Universal Classics), Student Ambassadors Sloan and Blake—along with classmate Adrian Kramer and former Student Ambassador Amy Buckley (who graduated last May)—were introduced on-air by radio station WQXR as they launched the signing with their own newly purchased CD copies. For Sloan, "meeting Renée Fleming was a great and important experience—it's essential, for a student, to see the payoff of a world-class singer studying at a world-class institution."As the Student Ambassador program continues its second year (and the group's 8 a.m. meetings resume), the Office of Alumni Relations and the 2004-05 members welcome feedback from the Juilliard community on how students and alumni can further connect in mutually beneficial ways.Lauren McMinn is associate director of national advancement/alumni relations.
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