Hi, I’m Sydney, and this year I am part of the Alumni Committee. Our committee focuses on keeping former Flow members connected to the association, even after graduation. We organize activities where alumni can meet each other again to catch up, and stay involved with Flow in a fun and accessible way.
I have actually been active within Flow from day one, meaning from the moment I started my studies and joined the TOP Week. So when the opportunity came up to continue playing a small part in the association after graduation, I gladly took it. After the summer, I joined the Alumni Committee, and at that moment the committee did not have an active commissioner anymore. So when the Daily Board asked if someone wanted to take that role, I volunteered. Why not, right?
It is a very relaxed and fun committee to be part of. Especially after graduation, and next to a working life, I think a committee should be a nice addition rather than another responsibility that feels like work. So for us, the focus is really on staying connected with Flow and with each other in a very low-key way. Throughout the year, we regularly catch up during meetings, but, more importantly, we have committee activities together, such as going out for sushi, which is almost becoming a tradition by now.
It is quite funny, because we probably go out for dinner together more often than we actually organize activities, since we only organize two alumni activities a year. But that is exactly what makes it so nice!
There are many, many, many memories to choose from, so instead of picking one absolute favorite, I will tell you a little story from my memory book.
During my first year, I somehow became a meme for a short period of time. It all started during the study trip to Helsinki and Tallinn. During our very adventurous walks back from the bar to the hostel, we were sometimes a little mischievous. By the time we arrived back, we had often collected a few extra “souvenirs” along the way, such as flowers, posters of cows, a road barrier, and of course, the most iconic item of all: traffic cones.
On our last night in Helsinki, we left a beautiful still life at the bus station next to our hostel (if I remember correctly) of five traffic cones perfectly lined up on top of the bus stop. Getting them up there was quite the challenge. It involved being lifted multiple times and hoping I could just reach far enough to place the cones neatly on the roof.
And that is how a meme was born. Later that academic year, during the end of the year party with a wedding theme, there was only one logical thing left to do. I finally got the opportunity to say the long awaited words, “I do”, to my one true love: my husband, the traffic cone. And they lived happily ever after.
I would say it is a bit like How I Met Your Mother meets The Hangover. How I Met Your Mother fits because we are all in a more serious phase of our lives right now. However, when we get together, we quickly start looking back on our study time and all kinds of funny and chaotic stories that came with it. The Hangover adds that slightly chaotic side: the wild ideas, the ridiculous memories (or loss of them), and the shared wish to relive a little bit of that student life during alumni activities. For example, during our Alumni Cantus, everyone really went all out, which may or may not have led to some actual hangovers the next day. So all in all, I think this combination actually sums up the Alumni Committee quite well.
All the time and money in the world? Say no more: we are going abroad! I would definitely organize an alumni trip. And if we really had unlimited time and budget, we would of course buy everyone the extra vacation days they would need for the trip, while also covering their normal salary for the days they miss at work. I mean, when we give, we give!
The destination would, of course, stay a secret and only be revealed through some almost impossible hints. Unlike the original study trips, we would probably skip the company and university visits and focus purely on the social activities. That is one of the perks of being alumni, I guess.