Speakers pressed graduates and their alumni family members to give back as members of the alumni network at a commencement reception for legacy families Friday afternoon.

About fifty people, consisting of multiple generations of GW graduates, gathered at the Arts Club of Washington and listened to speakers who encouraged alumni to offer support to current students.

Here are some takeaways from the family event:

1. Giving students an opportunity to grow

Matt Manfra, the associate vice president for alumni relations, began his speech thanking alumni parents for sending their children to GW.

“We are so very grateful for you to entrust your very valuable commodities, your students, with us,” Manfra said.

Manfra added that more than 100 legacy students will graduate this week.

The graduates will enter the extensive alumni network of 290,000 graduates in more than 150 countries, which is a “powerful group” that can assist current students, Manfra said.

2. Supporting current students

Michelle Rubin, a Class of 1991 alumna whose parents also graduated from GW, said alumni should understand that money isn’t the only way to give back to the University. She said advice from older graduates can often be more helpful to current students.

“Time and talent are just as, if not more important, than dollars and cents,” Rubin said.

Melissa Schapiro, a member of the Class of 2018 and a former Hatchet editor, said support from alumni can be an “amazing tool” to help students make personal connections and define their career direction.

“Reach out, come talk to us,” Schapiro said. “If you’re like me, and you’re about to move to a new city and trying to figure out how to keep a piece of GW with you, this is a great way to do it.”

3. Returning the favor

Schapiro – a legacy at GW through her father, a two-time alumnus – served as a Colonial Ambassador, where she helped alumni “strengthen their ties” with the student body and helped current students take advantage of resources alumni can provide.

As her classmates in the Class of 2018 graduate, Schapiro said they should remember professors and alumni who “opened doors” for them.

“Now that we are graduating, it’s a good time to think about how we can pay just a piece of that forward,” Schapiro said.

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