From the President...

September 2018

Dear Fellow Alumni,

  

My latest trip to Cambridge was in May, when I attended my 10th-Year college reunion and served as a Marshal at Commencement. I arrived at Harvard with many emotions - much excitement, but also some uncertainty about what to expect. As I found out, reunions can prompt a great deal self-reflection: Has time really passed that quickly? Who have I become since we were here together as students, so many years ago?

  

Over that long weekend, I explored my answers to these questions by getting reacquainted with old friends, meeting new ones, and reconnecting with our University. Reunion brought a community of peers that came back to Cambridge form all over the world, having pursued different paths, and gave us the opportunity to share those unique stories - of what we have accomplished, where we are going, and who we have become. Those were the same kinds of conversations we had when we were at Harvard, as students, so many years ago.


In our lives, there may only be a small number of experiences that dramatically shape who we are today - for me, I certainly count my Harvard experience among those. And I found that regardless of where we are in our lives, as a community, we are tied together by the common connection of this shared experience of Harvard. I left Cambridge feeling extremely privileged to be part of such a wonderful and inspiring community.

  

This is why I find such meaning in being involved in the Harvard Club of Philadelphia. Our goal as a club is to provide Harvard alumni in the greater Philadelphia area opportunities to connect with one another through a wide array of event programming, and to connect to the future of Harvard by matching up alumni to interview high school applicants to Harvard. We have a great slate of upcoming events, including a first-ever “Get to Know the Harvard Club” event, our Fall Opener on September 27th with speaker Nell Scovell, author of Just the Funny Parts and co-author of Lean In with Sheryl Sandberg, in addition to the Harvard Penn football game and tailgate, Dinner by the Decades, networking nights, and many others.

  

To take advantage of all that the Club has to offer, please consider joining or renewing your membership online or with the attached form - benefits include such as special access to events, members-only rates, and more.

  

We are always looking for alumni who wish to become more involved in the Club, so please contact the following Chairs for more information about participating on a Committee or as a Board member:

  

As this marks my last year as President, I am grateful to have worked with a fantastic Board of Directors (listed below),alumni who volunteer their time to bring our community together. Starting in July 2019, the Nominating Committee has recommended Luke McLoughlin for the role of President. And at our Annual Dinner in the spring, you will have an opportunity to officially vote in the full slate of Club leaders. If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to email me directly at president@hrcphilly.com. Thank you for your support of our efforts, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

  

Sincerely,

Lirui Li, AB ‘08

President, Harvard Club of Philadelphia