Young Alumni Leadership Program

Stephen Gonzalez '09
Class of 2009

Posted March 05, 2010

How'd you get involved with YALP?

When I first heard about YALP, I would be lying if I said that I immediately jumped at the opportunity to join. I had an email sitting in my mailbox from Gwen Roget '09 asking that I consider the program as a way to keep in touch with friends after I graduated. I intentionally left the email in my inbox and I started thinking over the next few days about everything that I had done at Bowdoin and how thankful I was that admissions afforded me the opportunity to pack up my bags and move to Maine for four years.

The deciding factor in joining YALP was that I figured it would be a way for me to give back to the school that gave me so much. When I look back at all of the money that was invested to give me an Economics degree, fund my four years of pole vaulting and sailing, and allow people to watch BCN Sports, it actually staggers me. However, when I reflect on all the experiences that I had at Bowdoin, I realize that I wouldn't be the person I am today without having had those opportunities. The alumni/parents/friends that so generously contribute to Bowdoin's endowment every year made my wildest dreams come true. For that, I believe that the least I can do is to leverage my network of friends for the purpose of introducing our class to the tradition of giving back to our alma mater.

What did you enjoy most about YALP?

The highlight of my YALP experience senior year was, without a doubt, the opportunity to hear some of Bowdoin's most illustrious faculty and staff speak about the future of Bowdoin and the importance of alumni giving. Whether it was Barry Mills describing the future outlook of the physical campus, Tim Diehl explaining the transformation that has taken place in the CPC and the ultimate direction that their office is headed in, story time with Dean Foster, or being able to enjoy the Bowdoin Logs that were showered upon us at every event, the speaker series was an absolute treat (pun definitely intended).

How have you remained engaged with Bowdoin as an alum?

I've taken a different approach to staying engaged with Bowdoin than most of my peers. To start, I was employed by Bowdoin throughout the summer and into October after graduation. If you ever want to completely confuse some of your friends that are a year or two behind you, I highly recommend sticking around Bowdoin until after the new fall semester starts. On a daily basis, I got the "Haven't you already graduated?" question. However, you flat out can't beat Maine in the summer and fall, no matter where you are.

On the other hand, I feel very strongly that staying engaged with Bowdoin isn't so much about having a physical attachment to the campus. Staying engaged with Bowdoin, to me, means keeping in touch with everyone who contributed to my Bowdoin experience. When we look back at our four years, the thing that sticks out isn't so much the room we lived in freshman year or Searles Hall 301, but who we lived with freshman year (that person we either loved so much or hated so much...or a combination of both) and those people that either slaved away alongside us in Environmental Studies 101 (which for the record has to be one of the hardest classes at Bowdoin) or laughed alongside us at Greg DeCoster's general demeanor in Finance class. Staying in touch with Bowdoin might be a simple Facebook wall post or it might be a conversation with your best friend that starts out as a simple 'hello' and then turns into a marathon hour and a half verbal novella... in the end, that's what it's all about, and we'll always have it.

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