Here at the Foundation, it can make our heads spin: how quickly Flinn Scholars go from being wide-eyed freshmen living in residence halls for the first time, to being attorneys, parents, small-business owners, research scientists, professional filmmakers–you name it.
Next month, the 25th class of Flinn Scholars begin their undergraduate adventures. With that milestone imminent, we think it’s time to celebrate the growth of the Flinn Scholarship Program, the accomplishments of its participants, and the lifelong friendships to which it has given birth.
Actually, we’ve already begun our commemoration of the Scholars 25th year; our Recognition Dinner this past May was a wonderful chance to rekindle relationships with a few of our alumni and some of our longtime partners at Arizona’s universities and in the community.
To continue the celebration, we’re inviting our community of nearly 400 alumni to come home. October 1-3, we’ll have a weekend-long reunion–we’re imagining it as a grown-up version of the annual retreat we hold each August for current Scholars. The weekend will even include a “musicale” reminiscent of the talent show held at the retreat. And we are hoping to invite some of our current Scholars to join in with alumni for that particular activity.
(Alumni, you should already have a save-the-date card on your refrigerator, and you’ll shortly receive a formal invitation to the reunion weekend.)
Next spring, we’ll follow up with a series of one-day seminars addressing some of Arizona’s most important contemporary concerns. Panelists at these seminars will include representatives from the Flinn Scholar alumni community in Arizona–now more than 120 strong. These are individuals making important contributions in a variety of fields, to make Arizona a better place for the next 25 years.