Editorial
Letter to the editor, March 2
By Lisa Yang ’17
March 2, 2017
Tags editorial letter to the editor
Around the middle of February, the income from tuition, room and board runs out. From that point until the end of the academic year, the College relies on donations from Hamilton’s alumni, parents and friends. In other words, whether you receive financial aid or not, we all benefit from the generosity of thousands of people who care about Hamilton and its future.
As an 1812 Ambassador for the Development Office, I have had the opportunity to meet some of these generous donors and volunteers such as Paul McGiffin ’57. After sharing my Hamilton story at the Class Leadership Committee Meeting during Fallcoming Weekend this year, he personally congratulated me at a reception that followed. I noticed cool Hamilton embroidery on his blazer and was surprised to find out that it was from when his father graduated from Hamilton in 1924. As we chatted over dinner, what amazed me was that we loved Hamilton for many of the same reasons. Despite being 60 class years apart, we both reminisced about the excitement of going to a professor’s house for dinner.
The following Monday, I got an email from Mr. McGiffin with the subject line: “This weekend’s highlight.” His heartfelt message reminded me again why I love Hamilton so much: the people. As a senior, I have come to realize that many of the connections we make at Hamilton far outlast the time we spend on the Hill, and the Hamilton network is truly one-of-a-kind.
So the next time you run into a Hamilton alum, thank them for helping to make your education possible. Hopefully one day you will do the same for future Hamiltonians.