Keene State Alums Return for Reunion
Keene State College welcomed back over 200 alumni, family, and friends for Reunion 2016. Taking part in an array of events from a Welcome Back Social to the Parade of Classes and Reunion Dinners, alumni had a chance to stroll down Appian Way, and reconnect with roommates and classmates from their days on campus.
On Friday, the pages from the Keene State Today First Person Project, which profiled 25 graduates and their careers, came alive. Several alumni who participated in the project returned to campus to tell their stories. “It was a great opportunity to be involved in a really unique project. I loved reading everyone’s story,” said Chris Demers ‘89, who along with his wife Paula (Mitchell) Demers ‘91, work in the Concord, New Hampshire, school system. “I still take lessons that I learned from my time here.”
Matt Seiler ’91, founder and CEO of Maine Root Handcrafted Beverages, spoke about his college experiences. “It’s not just about the education, but about the people you meet from all walks of life,” he said. “I had the button-up shirt and tie professors and guys wearing a tie-dye shirt with a pony tail, so the way I thought about success was shattered by seeing other people trying to do their own thing and take it to another level.”
Jeremie Smith ’08, the corporate communications coordinator for the New England Patriots, hopes the First-Person-Project shows current and future students where they can go with their Keene State degrees. “I thought it was a great opportunity to show students who are here now, and even students who might be thinking of going to Keene State in the future where you can go and what you can do,” said Smith, a former sports editor for the Equinox. “I thought the project was a great idea and I was excited to be a part of it.”
