“100 Days” Prepares Smith Seniors for their First Lap as Terp Alumni

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about “100 days until Graduation,” a special event for seniors at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business to celebrate their final 100 days as a Smith undergraduate and to prepare them for their entry into the Smith Terp Alumni community.

As students, we all jump at the sight of the number “100.” You get that exam back, and boom, a 100% shines its brilliant smile at you from the top right corner of the page. Elation washes over you.

For a select group of hard-working students at Smith, however, 100 began to taste kind of funny on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, as the senior Smith class of 2016 attended “100 Days until Graduation” an event hosted by the Smith Undergraduate Program and Smith Alumni Relations. It was a bittersweet and nostalgic start to one of the most important countdowns in their lives. That night, the seniors embarked on their final lap as university students, and their first lap as Terp Alumni.

Mary Wagner, director of recent alumni engagement, was the mastermind behind “100 Days until Graduation.” Last year, an event was launched right before commencement to introduce students to the world of being alumni, but it “got lost in the noise of graduation, so we took a step back and thought about how we could make it stand out amidst all the festivities surrounding graduation.” After some research, Mary came to Maria Taylor, executive director of alumni relations, with this idea, and with the support of the board and Dean Victor Mullins, “100 Days until Graduation” was born.

For Dean Mullins, “100 Days until Graduation” represents “the beginning of a lot more to come.” For a flagship university like Maryland’s, connecting 60,000 alumni with each other is no simple mission. It requires constant oversight, planning, and innovation to ensure that both the alumni and current students maximize each other’s resources, time, and experiences. Right now, the University of Maryland and the Office of Alumni Relations are focusing on building the “100-day bridge” that is the time between being a student and being an alumnus. Maria Taylor affirms that “we don’t want to wait until students graduate and walk off that stage to start building the relationship. It’s really important to start building these relationships when they are still students.” Maria noted that the hardest part about building this bridge is to develop a senior’s foresight in terms of what they want to get out of being an alumnus while still trying to figure out post-graduate plans, making sure to pass classes, and getting everything sorted for graduation. Once those roadblocks are overcome the benefits are infinite.

“100 Days until Graduation” is the beginning of a beautiful celebration, but it is also a night of gratitude, looking back on one’s four years at Smith and giving thanks to the faculty, mentors, professors, and peers that helped make everyone’s undergraduate experience a memorable one. For many students, Smith has given them more than just a degree. The connections and relationships fostered at the school have given these seniors much “good-will” on their educational investment. For senior Dina Broydo, her experiences as a TA for more than a few classes has helped her realize her professional goals, while also shaping the educational experiences for many younger students. “I’ve always loved being a mentor, and sharing my knowledge with other students.”

A Smith education teaches one a lot. From all the majors, the clubs, the faculty knowledge pool, the research programs, the internship experiences, case competitions, trips, and connections, to graduate from Smith is to graduate with a treasure chest full of tools, resources, networks, and intellectual insight and perspective. But oftentimes, it’s the little things that get remembered. “If Smith has taught me anything, it is to always say yes to new opportunities,” exclaims Dina. “No opportunity is too small.”

For more information on the undergraduate program at Smith, visit: www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad.