Right now, the Washington University Alumni Association is in full-on welcome mode. From June through October, a group of dedicated staff and volunteers organize WashU Welcome events to greet new alumni, recent transplants and other members of the university community in cities across the country. Nearly 2,000 alumni, parents and friends connected — or reconnected — at 14 parties in 2023. And for many attendees, these social gatherings mark the first stop in a richer, more rewarding relationship with WashU.
The WashU connection
Within the past two years, Navraj Randhawa, MS ’17, bounced from New York to Chicago to Washington, D.C. At each stop, he found his footing by tapping into the WashU network.
It all started when Randhawa, who earned a master’s degree in finance from Olin Business School, attended a WashU Welcome party at Chicago’s River Roast restaurant in August 2022. There, he was introduced to the local chapter of WashU Engage, which collaborates with the university’s Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement to host community service activities and other events throughout the city. Randhawa signed up on the spot and, by the following month, was packing up winter gear and school supplies for children at a Cradles to Crayons volunteer event. He eventually stepped up his commitment by joining the steering committee, and he discovered a valued mentor in John B. Crosby, AB ’69, co-chair of the Gephardt Institute’s national council.
For Randhawa, giving back yields great returns. “I fundamentally believe in the importance of civic service,” he says. “It fosters a sense of social responsibility and empathy toward others while investing in the betterment of society and future generations.”
Randhawa describes WashU Engage as collaborative, gratifying and substantive. “Alumni can participate in projects around the country and the globe,” he says. “They also can dream up their own projects wherever they believe needs exist. The group provides abundant opportunities to make a meaningful impact.” Although he remains close with professors and classmates from Olin, he also appreciates the ability to bond with alumni from different graduation years, schools, industries and life experiences.
When Randhawa, who works as a private investor and financial consultant for nonprofits, relocated to Washington, D.C., at the end of 2023, he encountered a built-in support system of alumni in the area. He formed ties with fellow grads at the annual alumni holiday party and through his ongoing work with the city’s WashU Engage chapter. His new contacts continue to help him settle in, offering everything from career advice to intel about the district’s best squash courts. “It’s a tight-knit group here,” Randhawa says. “There’s something very special about the WashU connection.”
A journey begins
Jerome and Stacey Schneider entered WashU’s orbit through their son, Rowan, who is now a rising sophomore in Arts & Sciences. Last summer, the trio headed north from their home in Newport Beach, California, to Los Angeles for a WashU Welcome party on the beach.
They arrived feeling a bit nervous about the transition to WashU, but their anxieties quickly dissipated. “Everything was so organized and on point,” Stacey says. “Other parents were there to greet us, and we just immediately felt welcome and at ease.”
“Everything was so organized and on point. Other parents were there to greet us, and we just immediately felt welcome and at ease.”
Stacey Schneider, WashU parent
The Los Angeles event was open to both alumni and incoming families like the Schneiders. The mix, which included many recent grads, was refreshing to Jerome. “You expect enthusiasm from seasoned WashU parents and grandparents,” he says. “But it was helpful to hear from younger alumni who could speak to the student experience.”
The Schneiders, who are also parents to a daughter in high school, are accustomed to being involved in their children’s schools. They left the beach party eager to continue that tradition at WashU. In September 2023, Stacey organized a function for WashU families based in Orange County. “It was a great chance to meet others in the immediate area and talk parent-to-parent in a casual way,” she says.
A couple of months later, Jerome met with WashU undergraduates at the Newport Beach office of PIMCO, where he serves as a managing director and leader of short-term portfolio management and funding. During the visit, which was coordinated by WashU’s Center for Career Engagement, Schneider and his colleagues fielded students’ questions about the ins and outs of an investment management career. His primary goal was to help them begin to translate their academic training into the real world.
The Schneiders, who now sit on the university’s Parents Council, are likewise figuring out how to son’s future alma mater. Their experience on the council, albeit brief, has nonetheless offered valuable perspective on WashU’s current state and its ambitions for the future. “We’re at the beginning of our journey with WashU, and we’re excited to share it with Rowan over the next four years and beyond,” Jerome says. “The university has already set a pretty high bar for us.”
