If you had asked me why I “Lived up to the Cha11enge” and gave my Senior Class Gift six months ago, the answer I would have given then is dramatically different from the answer I would give now. While at the core may have been my basic belief in the importance of giving and the need to induce participation of our class gift, my core emphasis has shifted during the year. In the excitement of Senior Welcome Week festivities and the launch of the Senior Class Gift Campaign, I am not quite sure any of us fully fathomed or emotionally embraced the fact that it was the beginning of the end of our college days.
Now we are in the final countdown, with less than eight weeks until commencement (a funny word for the end), and I find myself reflecting, recounting, and regaling in the abundance of amazing memories created during my Undergraduate career as a Colonial. It is because of this journey that my answer to the question, “Why did you give,” is now fervently focused on the future, as we embark upon the next phase of our Colonial affiliation- being alumni. I gave in August to motivate my peers, pay it forward for those who shaped my life at GW, and to engage in the culture of philanthropy. Now I will continue to give to forge a life-long Colonial connection with the people and place I have called home for four years. I hope your experience has been as positive as mine and that you will join me this year and in the future to stay connected to GW. Cheers to the entire Class of 2011!
