Over the course of the past week, many Andover classes welcomed alumni back into the classroom to share their personal experiences and valuable advice with students. The 2023 Andover Alumni Award of Distinction recipients, Paula Caballero ’80, Elaine Finbury ’68, P’99, and Peter Saji ’96, engaged in biology, economics, and Spanish classes, allowing students opportunities to ask questions and engage in conversations.
Jennifer Savino, Director of Alumni Engagement, noted the interaction between alumni and programs on campus throughout the year, pointing towards several opportunities for alumni to interact and connect with current Andover students and activities. She highlighted the efforts in coordinating ways for alumni to interact with students in varied aspects of Andover life.
“These annual programs include Volunteer Summit in September, The Andover Alumni Award of Distinction presented at All-School Meeting in October, Board of Trustees, Andover Development Board, and Veterans Day in November… There is an effort to maximize alumni visits to campus in order to connect the widest reach of students and… we appreciate the flexibility of campus partners, including instructors, to take advantage of these unique opportunities to enhance classroom experiences with alumni visitors,” wrote Jennifer Savino in an email to The Phillipian.
Keith Robinson, Department Chair of Biology, has hosted alumni in his classes several times, and invited Caballero, a key contributor to the development of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to his Biology 501 class. Robinson commented on the unique angle that visitors bring to the class and the chance for students to learn from them.
“It’s a valuable program and obviously all the people we’re bringing in are accomplished in their fields and have done really great interesting things, and I think in general our students benefit from hearing from people who’ve gone here and who’ve gone on to do great interesting things because it’s inspiring… [The Office of Alumni Engagement] do a really good job at matching the interest and the expertise of the alum with the class. Sometimes it’s a little bit of extra work on the teacher’s side to arrange the schedule and make it happen, but I think it’s a huge benefit to the students and us,” said Robinson.
In her visits to classes, Caballero presented students with a three step model for success which she summarized into three main points of equal importance: maintaining long-term vision, building up economic, social, and environmental capital, and Andover’s motto: non sibi. Caballero reflected on her own experience in Andover classes as a student.
“Andover gave me everything I needed for success. The school teaches you to ask the right questions, it fosters a deep understanding of various subjects and encourages a strong decision-making process, and really just teaches you to work hard for your dreams,” said Caballero.
The microeconomics elective also welcomed an alumni visit. Eddie Lou ’24, a student in the class, emphasized how the perspectives that were offered complemented learning in the class and at Andover.
“[Caballero] came to my microeconomics class and talked to us about her work for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She was very inspirational in her resilience to defy the odds for a cause she believed in, [and expressed] that having a solid belief in what you do is crucial for creating meaningful change. I would definitely like to see more alumni visits in the future,” wrote Lou in an email to The Philipian.
Christopher Savino ’24, who invited Finbury to his Spanish class, described the benefit of listening to experiences from a graduated student.
“It was a great opportunity to have [Finbury] in our Spanish class. She talked about her career in architecture and architectural preservation. Although I’m not particularly interested in architecture myself, it was fascinating to hear about the history of our campus and how [alumni] use their Andover education for the betterment of the world,” said Christopher Savino.
Andover’s alumni network stretches across the globe and includes countless individuals and experiences that embody Andover’s core values. Jennifer Savino highlighted the benefits of drawing upon Andover’s alumni network, connecting current students to graduates and strengthening the Andover family.
“Connecting alumni and students across the decades expands the Andover universe and the Andover family. This benefit is mutual and demonstrates that there are evolving experiences as an Andover student and that there are consistent threads of academic rigor and kindness across generations of Abbot and Andover students,” wrote Jennifer Savino in an email to The Phillipian.
