June 18, 2025

Watching this year’s 90th Commencement in person, I thought back to my own graduation in 1991. So much hope, joy, and potential. 

Sitting and standing next to my fellow alumni helped me focus on what was to come next. I mean that literally, and I hope it will be similar for this year’s graduates.

Why? Simple. Fellow Bennington alumni have had, and will continue to have, the biggest impact on me personally and professionally. My closest friends who got me through Bennington are the people I turn to today for advice, support, or to laugh or vent.

My word of advice to each of these newest graduates is to continue to show up for each other: attend readings, screenings, plays, and whatever performances you can in these first years. The people you forged a path with together at Bennington are likely to be the ones you’ll need in these first few years beyond college.  

And, the best part of being a Bennington alum is finding alumni from other decades to whom you’ll find you share a similar bond and language. Wherever our journey has taken us since graduation, we share an experience and a language that transcends the decades. 

To keep these connections, and foster new ones, a goal of mine in my first year as Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement is to relaunch an official Alumni Association. With alumni help, I hope we can roll this out at All-Class Reunion this fall. I’ve had such incredible support and guidance from fellow alumni so far that I know we can build something sustainable and reflective of our unique way of moving through this world.

We’ve held alumni gatherings around the country since last fall: North Bennington; Seattle; Chicago; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Portland, OR; New York City; and Washington, DC. 

There is a summer alumni picnic happening on Saturday, July 26, from 4:00–7:00 pm at the home of the Hendricks Churchill family (’91, ’25, ’28) in Sharon, Connecticut. It’s rain or shine. RSVP here. I’m also working on one for alumni who live close to campus. Stay tuned if you’re still in the area!

If recent alumni would like to be part of the effort to build an Alumni Association or to help organize a chapter in their community, they are invited to email me. My plan is to host a few Zoom meetings over the summer and an on-campus session during Reunion and start planning out key events for 2026.

In the meantime, graduates are invited to share any life or career updates (or plug a project) in the Class Notes section of Bennington Magazine. Here’s the link to submit their update. 

Finally, I hope to see graduates back at the All-Class Reunion, October 3–5, on campus. It’ll be an opportunity to get a sense of the depth and breadth of our alumni diaspora.

The official Reunion registration process will open soon and 2025 graduates will have free admission. If your graduate plans to attend, I would recommend reserving a place to stay now, as fall is a busy time in Vermont. 

A couple of places have set aside rooms for us: You can book a room at Hotel Vervana or the Knotty Pine. Just let them know you’re part of the Bennington College Reunion group to get a discounted rate. 

If your graduate would like to be part of a group of alumni volunteers who are stepping up to think about ways to ensure this fall’s All-Class Reunion is a success, please fill out this form and I’ll be in touch.

Once again: Congratulations and welcome!
 

Onward,
Shay Totten ’91 
Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement