Brown University Alumni & Friends

BrownConnect+ is here! ??? Through this robust, online platform, more than 100,000 Brown alumni, students, and friends can come together around community-building, networking, mentorship, volunteerism, and more. + Explore BrownConnect+ and learn how #BrownAlumni can get the most out of the tool: https://bit.ly/4gqGwA1

“A few people knew me as Barbara, but on game days I was The Bear.” Today, we’re taking it ?? to 1980 when Barbara Weiss Kimmel ’83 donned the Bruno costume and became the first female mascot in the Ivy League. ??: Brown University Archives | #ThrowbackThursday

Earlier this month, the Office of Alumni Relations’ new mentoring pilot program, Building Resilient Intergenerational Community Capital (BRICC), brought together students and alumni for “Beyond Brown,” an informal and insightful discussion about post-grad life. Alumni speakers Jasmine DiLorenzo ScM ’24, Larry Warner '97, and Jasmin Torres ’08 spoke about their career journeys, challenges they faced along the way, and the importance of remaining open-minded through it all. “My career is not linear,” Warner told attendees. “You don’t have to go from point A to point B or a straight line. Sometimes the best journey is a little more zigzagging.” After transitioning from college to the “real world,” Torres recognized that the path to success is unique to each person. “Everybody’s journey and career trajectory is different,” she said. “I’m not going to follow somebody else’s path because my path is different and I had to take that into consideration.” The conversation also touched on the significance of pushing past doubts. “Dealing with the feelings of embarking on something that no one in my family had done was very challenging, and I got through it by a lot of self reflection. I had to really shed my old skin,” explained DiLorenzo. Open to all Brown community members, BRICC pairs mentors and mentees based on shared communities and industry interests.

Sometimes all it takes to save a life is a simple cheek swab. That was the message that Brown Football players hoped to get across at the team’s Get In The Game Bone Marrow Drive, which was held on campus on Wednesday. Thanks to the team’s efforts, 136 new names were added to the National Bone Marrow Registry. Over the years, the annual drive has led to 2,604 registrations and yielded 36 donations. At least seven former #BrownAlumni football players have donated since the drive began on campus in 2010. For Christian Montano ’18, that opportunity came seven years ago when he learned he was a match for a patient battling leukemia. Without hesitation, he chose to donate, later learning that his bone marrow had saved the life of a man who, without a transplant, had only a 20% chance of survival. “Three of my four grandparents actually passed away from cancer so to have the opportunity to help someone was a no-brainer,” he explained. “I was absolutely bought in from the second they told me I could help.” Montano is not alone. Other former players, including Jared Shimberg ’18, Mark Kachmer ’13, and Cole Hooper ’13.5, have also answered the call to donate, each playing a crucial role in giving someone a second chance at life. "You’re never thinking that this could happen," said Shimberg. "But then when you go through it and realize, ‘Oh, I might have a chance to do a small part in saving someone’s life,’ that hits you really hard and it’s really special." + Read more: https://bit.ly/4iTjRwE ??: Brown Athletics

We can’t wait until campus is in full bloom. Happy first day of spring, Brunonians!

Before email and instant notifications, Brown students had their own personal mailboxes at Faunce House. Turning the double dial lock, peeking through the tiny window, and retrieving mail was a small yet thrilling part of daily campus life. Would you find a heartfelt letter from home? A postcard from a friend? Or just another campus flyer? #BrownAlumni: Remember those days? Share your memories in the comments (bonus points if you still know your mailbox number)! Photo courtesy of Erik Gould for Brown Alumni magazine

Join the Brown University School of Professional Studies on Thursday, April 10 for a compelling conversation between Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi '91 and President Christina H. Paxson. This signature event is part of the school’s year-long 10th anniversary celebration. Registration is required. + Learn more: https://bit.ly/4iyKRBC

Brown recently celebrated an important milestone in the construction of its future indoor turf facility. During a topping-off ceremony, crews hoisted the structure’s final steel beam into position. Funded entirely by donor support, the 76,000-square-foot facility will expand capacity to meet a growing demand for varsity athletics practice space, club and intramural sports, and recreational programming. It is expected to open in January 2026. ??: Brown University Athletics

There’s a lot you can learn about where Brown has been and where it’s headed from more than 250 years of never-before-seen resignation letters written by trustees and fellows of the University’s highest governing body as they completed their terms. During a talk at the historic Nightingale-Brown House last week (hosted by Kevin McLaughlin, director of the John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study), Lauren Zalaznick '84, former Corporation member and author of “Letters from the Corporation of Brown University,” couldn’t have made that clearer. Whether reading a heartfelt entry from a trustee who reflected on how financial aid from Brown changed his life or sharing accounts from members who marked the end of their terms amid times of social, cultural, or political unrest in the country, Zalaznick brought the collection of curated letters to life for attendees and encouraged them to see them as an opportunity to both demystify the Corporation and shed light on the power of a Brown education. “I wanted to show juxtaposition and the throughline in history,” says Zalaznick. “It’s a guiding principle in leadership and really helps to articulate what makes Brown unlike any other University to the people who went here.” Did you miss the event? Stay tuned for another talk organized by the Office of Alumni Relations with Zalaznick in the months ahead. + Learn more about “Letters from the Corporation of Brown University”: https://bit.ly/3R0i5xO

Spring hasn’t officially arrived yet, but there are signs all across campus that it’s on the way! #SceneAtBrown