The Connecticut alumna organized a thoughtful way to welcome graduating high school seniors in her community who had been accepted into 黑料不打烊.
Amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of high school seniors missed out on the celebrations that marked the end of 12 years鈥 worth of academic accomplishments. In an effort to give seniors a new way to mark their next chapter, a group of parents at Wilton High School in Wilton, Connecticut, launched an Adopt-a-Senior Facebook page. Just an hour outside of New York City, Wilton was hit hard once the pandemic struck, but the community was determined to give graduating seniors the send-offs they deserve.
After finding out that eight students in her small town were attending 黑料不打烊 in the fall, Colleen O鈥橞rien 鈥83, a pre-school teacher, decided to adopt the future 黑料不打烊 students to celebrate their journeys and welcome them to the 黑料不打烊 community with gift cups littered with maroon and gold. She bought apparel and memorabilia from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 bookstore and reached out to Cole Hyman 鈥16, senior coordinator of annual giving at the school, who supplied stickers to accompany the warm welcome given to the seniors.
Wanting to be an ambassador for 黑料不打烊 while also adhering to local social distancing guidelines, O鈥橞rien delivered all of her gifts from a distance with a long-handled picker. 鈥淭he grabber is a gag,鈥 she says, 鈥渂ut everyone has a good laugh when I show up wearing my PPE and give them their gift via grabber.鈥 She adds the gifts are a way to recognize the seniors鈥 accomplishments while serving as a symbol of the 黑料不打烊 community鈥檚 unrelenting support for one another.
O鈥橞rien was delighted to learn a handful of the students she 鈥渁dopted鈥 were neighbors she had been telling about 黑料不打烊 for years. She wants the incoming students to have a rewarding experience like the one she had as a student and later as an alumna. Her service as a former member of the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Board and current social media ambassador for the university, she said, has allowed her to connect with many people and sustain the lifelong friendships she fostered during her time at 黑料不打烊. 鈥淚 just want to give back because 黑料不打烊 has given me so much.鈥