Aquinas Alumni and Friends

We had a blast toasting to the Class of 2024 last night at our annual Toast to the Tassel event.

Congratulations, graduates!

Auction to benefit Aquinas College Peter M. Wege Golf Tournament Silent Auction |

Congratulations to Erin Lodes '13 who is released her debut novel "In My Skin" on March 30, 2024. Erin says "I am working on self-publishing my debut novel. I wrote it because all the books I’ve ever read about girls who struggled with depression and self-harm always featured protagonists who’d suffered a tragedy or trauma. I wanted to read a book about someone like me, a girl who grew up with a good life and still struggled. I wrote this book because I believe that self-harm is still a very taboo subject, even as mental health issues at large become less so, and I would like to be a part of changing that." See more here: erinlodes.com

Each year, we rely on alumni, like you, to write retention letters to our first year students. We encourage alumni to write about your unique experiences at Aquinas, why you stayed, why you got involved, and what you loved most about your time at Aquinas College. We try to match up your experiences with a student who could be in a similar situation. For example, if you were an athlete, you know about the athlete experience so we would try to connect your letter with a current student athlete.

If you are interested in writing a letter, see a letter template here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qlm3Gdd1p5iXMH234iA_5vd1_B9dRAD1/view?usp=sharing. Please complete the process and email the letter to [email protected] by this Wednesday April 10, 2024.

Wow! We are so thankful for our Saints community. Thank you for helping us raise over $126,000 for what we love at AQ!
..AND still counting! We will share a final total early next week. We will also be reaching out to the winners of prizes and challenges individually.

Saintsgiving 2024 was a success! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

www.aquinas.edu/saintsgiving

Students are busy writing thank you notes to donors!! We are so grateful for the 200+ alumni and friends who have supported us so far. Keep the support coming!

Www.aquinas.edu/saintsgiving

It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN! Three hours remaining in !

Every dollar raised will support the things you love at Aquinas College.

Don't miss your opportunity to get involved!

www.aquinas.edu/saintsgiving

Eight hours in and we are CELEBRATING this !🎉

Keep the engagement coming! Don't forget there are incentives and engagement opportunities abound IN ADDITION to being able to double (or even triple) your impact with matching funds.

Check them out www.aquinas.edu/saintsgiving

When the AQ Saints community comes together, anything is possible. Already today, we've raised over $55,000! Will you help us meet our match and make it over $100,000 by tomorrow at noon?

Thank you to the 90+ alumni, friends, faculty, students and staff who have shown their love for AQ by donating today. By investing in education, you are not only transforming the individual lives of Aquinas students but also contributing to the development and growth of our Saints community.

Help us fill in the map, and join us in celebrating Saintsgiving by making a gift before noon tomorrow. Right now, we have the most donors in Michigan, but seem to also have lots of friends in North Carolina! We also have a special challenge for employees, those making their first-ever donation, and more!

www.aquinas.edu/saintsgiving

Ready....set...GO! It is officially !

On Saintsgiving, we ask all members of our Saints community - alumni, staff, faculty, students, parents and friends - to make a donation to support Aquinas College. Spread the word!

www.aquinas.edu/saintsgiving

Saintsgiving 2024 is ONE. WEEK. AWAY. Giving day will be March 26-27. On Saintsgiving, we ask all members of our Saints community - alumni, staff, faculty, students, parents and friends - to make a donation to support scholarships for students at Aquinas College. Spread the word!

Feel free to share the attached images and the website: aquinas.edu/saintsgiving. Take a look at just a few of the challenges and incentives we have!

💸An anonymous Saint has generously agreed to match $1:$1 all gifts to Saintsgiving up to $50,000!
⏰If 20 alumni make their first ever donation (or first in five years), the Alumni Association will donate an additional $500.
🎁All donors (of any size) will receive a small gift as a thank you.

Check out the website for even more fun incentives!

From the Aquinas College community, a happy St. Patrick's Day! May the spirit of peace and hospitality fill your day. ☘️

The Contemporary Writers Series is honored to welcome author and poet Camille T. Dungy to Aquinas College on March 21.

Dungy's newest book "Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden" recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in a predominately white community. Like much of Dungy's work, Soil connects history, landscape, culture, family, and desire to expand how we talk about the natural world and each other.

For more on Dungy, please visit her website at https://camilledungy.com/

Dungy will perform on March 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Kretschmer Recital Hall in the Art & Music Center on the campus of Aquinas College. This event is free and open to the public.
Learn more about AQ Contemporary Writers Series on FB or at https://www.aquinas.edu/.../contemporary.../index.html

Calling all alumni!! Networking is an important skill, but it can be nerve-wracking. The AQ Advantage Center has created a safe space for students to practice networking with our super friendly alums, all while learning the art of making mocktails from our alum mixologist Katy McAvoy '01!

This event is free, but limited in space so please register by tomorrow, February 21!

https://www.aquinas.edu/calendar/index.html -details/f3a11e85-0eb9-4e32-978a-0cce3cd8ad56

Calling all Ireland Alumni! A small committee of college faculty, staff, and Ireland program alumni have created a formal Aquinas College Ireland Program Advisory Board that will assist and advise the college on all things related to the program. This board will meet quarterly beginning in March and we invite you to join us! Any program alumnus can get involved in a variety of ways.

We plan to hold the first quarterly Zoom meeting of the Advisory Board on March 12, 2024 and all those that are interested in getting involved will be invited to this meeting. To learn more about this opportunity, please complete the following Advisory Board Questionnaire and additional information will be sent to you.

Ireland Program Advisory Board Questionnaire Yes, I am interested in getting involved with the Ireland Program Advisory Board. Please contact me with more information.

Let’s go, SAINTS! Thank you to everyone who came out for our 2024 community photo today! Happy Saint Thomas Aquinas Week to all!

We extend a warm invitation to join us for an Alumni Retreat on the first Sunday of Lent, February 18, for a sacred and contemplative event that will provide a meaningful opportunity to delve into the spiritual significance of the Lenten season.

Taking place in the old Bukowski Chapel, which is now home to the Dominican Center of Marywood at Aquinas College, this day promises moments of introspection, prayer, and connection with fellow alumni. Embrace the spirit of reflection as we come together to renew our faith and strengthen the bonds that tie us together as members of this cherished AQ community.

Event Schedule:
Please note: if you would like to attend for only the spiritual reflection, you can certainly do so.

Spiritual Reflection, 3-5 p.m.
Dinner at Wege, 5-6 p.m.
Confession, 6:15 p.m.
Mass, 7 p.m.

Register for this free event here: https://www.aquinas.edu/calendar/event-details/alumni-retreat-2024.html?bblinkid=275946232&bbemailid=52247347&bbejrid=-1377196728

Don't forget! Aquinas College Alumni are invited to join President Alicia Córdoba for a virtual town hall on Thursday, January 25, at 4 p.m. President Córdoba will provide the State of the College, we will discuss how Aquinas supports our students, and alumni will have an opportunity to ask questions. The Alumni Relations office, along with the Alumni Leadership Council, will be hosting this event. We are looking forward to connecting with Alumni about the future of our College! This event is free and open to all alumni.

Register here: https://www.aquinas.edu/calendar/alumni.html -details/f8b09793-6b69-4468-a89a-1dc4e4d5bd93

Submit questions ahead of time to [email protected]

Join us at Kretschmer Recital Hall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 15 at 10:30 a.m. for a powerful morning of "Words of Peace." Students will read excerpts of Dr. King's speech at Riverside Church in 1967 and poetry followed by a performance by the True Light Baptist Church Choir. This event is open to the public, and light refreshments will be offered.

We're also hosting a book drive to support inmates at the Kent County Correctional Facility. The book drive will take place from Jan 15 to Feb 2. We invite you to donate your lightly used paperbacks. Your support can make a meaningful impact!

Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, where to drop off your books and other events here: https://lnkd.in/gRnt-m2i

Aquinas College Alumni are invited to join President Alicia Córdoba for a virtual town hall on Thursday, January 25, at 4 p.m. President Córdoba will provide the State of the College, we will discuss how Aquinas supports our students, and alumni will have an opportunity to ask questions. The Alumni Relations office, along with the Alumni Leadership Council, will be hosting this event. We are looking forward to connecting with Alumni about the future of our College! This event is free and open to all alumni.

Register here: https://www.aquinas.edu/calendar/event-details/alumni-town-hall-jan-2024.html

A New Year offers new possibilities.

“A new heart…a new spirit I will put within you…”
Prophet Ezekiel 36:26

In 2024, We stand ready
To find God’s grace in our midst,
To lead amid uncertainty,
To reverse the trends of negativity,
To honor those who labor tirelessly and generously,
To celebrate the goodness of nature and human nature!

In 2024, We stand committed
To right one wrong,
To bridge one divide,
To tackle one problem,
To whisper one pardon,
To shout one Alleluia!

In 2024, We stand prepared,
To shine our Light in the dark spaces,
To knock on closed doors,
To let our hearts and actions be bold,
To instill some joy and gladness,
To trust God’s Presence within us.

“Let your steadfast love rest on us as our hope.”
Psalm 33:22

-Sr. Mary Ann Barrett, OP ‘66

Just 12 hours left to make your 2023 tax deductible gift!

Student scholarships are more important than ever and we couldn't make our AQ experience possible without YOU! We are called to make an Aquinas education affordable to all. We are proud that our students, on average, graduate with no more debt than they will earn in their first year of employment.

Today, we are asking you to help us finish the year strong and continue to support more students through the Aquinas Annual Scholarship Fund — truly, every gift helps. Please consider stretching your giving level to help even more students experience the joy and power of an Aquinas education.

And if you have already made a gift to Aquinas College this holiday season, please know how deeply grateful we are for your support. Your generosity makes a world of difference for our students. Thank you again.

aquinas.edu/give

You still have time to support more students through the Aquinas Annual Scholarship Fund! If every member of the Aquinas community made a donation today, the impact on our College and our students would be tremendous.

Virtually every one of our students receives some form of scholarship, provided directly by the College — over $20 million was allocated this year alone. Our goal now is to encourage unprecedented levels of scholarship philanthropy to help address this critical need.

Thank you for your consideration — truly, every gift helps.

And if you have already made a gift to Aquinas College this holiday season, please know how deeply grateful we are for your support. Your generosity makes a world of difference for our students. Thank you again.

aquinas.edu/give

Merry Christmas from Aquinas College

Aquinas College President Alicia Córdoba and First Gentleman George Blanchet would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Please know how grateful and honored we are to be part of the Aquinas College family.

May God grace you and your family with abundant joy as you end 2023 and begin anew in 2024. God bless you.

https://www.aquinas.edu/news/2023/merry-christmas-from-aquinas-college-2023.html?bblinkid=274755668&bbemailid=51290491&bbejrid=-1421042925

December at AQ ❄️🎄🎉

Aquinas College Storefront Unveiled at Karl and Susan Hascall Junior Achievement Finance Park® Ribbon Cutting Aquinas College is a proud Storefront Sponsor of the recently opened Karl & Susan Hascall Junior Achievement (JA) Finance Park®. Junior Achievement USA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their own economic success, plan f...