Connecting with classmates
- Source: Global Times
- [00:11 February 20 2010]
- Comments
Yale alumni giving back to the community. Photos: Grace Hsieh
By Michael Gold
As the siren's call of a booming China continues to lure young foreigners in droves, a new networking medium is taking shape throughout Beijing's bustling expat venues: the college alumni club. Though a fixture of the Western social landscape for decades, alumni organizations of Western universities are a relatively new phenomenon in Beijing, reflecting both China's growing status as a magnet for young job seekers as well as the colleges' desire to expand their global presence.
"Our club is the first place many alums in Beijing come to build their social lives," said Jenny Zhao, general organizer of the Cornell Club. She points to the sense of familiarity many alumni feel with one another as helping to ease the transition from college to the workplace and from America to China. "Lots of alums get hired by international companies and come here freshly shipped, not knowing anyone."
Regular events such as cocktail mixers, group dinners and lectures with professional luminaries, such as those hosted monthly by the Yale Club, give alumni a social base and common language, according to Yale Club President Grace Hsieh. "We aim to cater to all the needs of our community, as well as to the greater Beijing community," she said, citing examples of charity campaigns and rural outreach activities that the Yale Club facilitates for its members. "Volunteerism is still a relatively new phenomenon in China, and we hope to be at the forefront of that movement."
Friends reunited
When asked about the role their alumni clubs play in their lives at a recent Ivy League mixer at Blue Frog Bar, many simply stressed the social aspects. "You never know who you could meet here," said Henry Hoyle, a recent Brown University graduate. "It's a good way to make new friends."
Others saw the club as a nostalgic link to their alma maters and carefree college years. "Back in my day, we didn't use the word 'networking,'" said Jeff MacCorkle, president of the Cornell Club and one of the few attendees who looks back on his graduation over a time span of decades as opposed to years. "We're just having fun."
Often, however, the impact of the club reaches beyond friendship and can facilitate alumni in finding jobs, securing funding for business ventures and even meeting their soul mates. "I can't speak for other members, but I actually met my husband at an alumni garden party in Paris in 2003," said Kristina Pérez, president of the Oxford and Cambridge Club. "That's why I introduced the garden party to China – it worked for me."
