“I’m in a role that I never expected I would be in after college,” said Allison Diamond ’14, a participant in Forever Fire, a two-day career and alumni networking event featuring more than 20 alumni who returned to campus to share their professional experiences with current students.

The first day included two film screenings, followed by a Q&A session with Melvin Taylor ’14, who directed the short film Baldy, and filmmakers Vince Singleton ’03, Rana Segal, and Laurie Little, who created The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells. The second day featured panel discussions spanning film, theatre, and entertainment careers, as well as explorations of the corporate world, nonprofits, education, and the sciences.

As one of the panelists, Diamond shared her journey, starting as a fresh-out-of-school theatre major who worked professionally in theatre before pivoting to a nonprofit data management role post-COVID-19. “Part of going to a liberal arts school and taking random classes is that you’ll see connections and gain skills that will help you in your career," she said.

Levi Morgan ’07, associate director of college  engagement, said, “Forever Fire was a collaboration  between College Engagement, the Bastian Center for Career Success, and the Center for Teaching and Learning. The goal is to be intentional about inviting alumni back to campus so that they can share their experiences with students and faculty so they can connect with each other in meaningful ways. This will be a yearly program that we plan to grow to include departments and disciplines campuswide.”