The journey from Reunion clerk to Reunion chair

Being a Reunion clerk is the first stepping stone for many Cornellians who discover both a love of Reunion, and of connecting with other alumni.

"I found clerking to be a really great networking experience," said Casey Phlegar Brown '15. "And I also discovered by being a student clerk, that I had a passion for event management, and that's the career I ended up pursuing. So Reunion has a really special place in my heart, because this is kind of where it all started."

Casey now works for the University of Virginia's Alumni Affairs and Development.

Her classmate and co-Reunion chair, Mikey Hintsa '15, also began his journey as a Reunion clerk, following in the footsteps of his family members. His brother, Matt Hintsa '10, and mother, Moira Hearne Hintsa '74, both worked as Reunion clerks as students.

"That's how I found out about the opportunity for in the first place," Mikey said. "I  fell in love with Reunion just after the first two years clerking, and then I established a great connection with the Alumni Affairs staff. It was really fun to head clerk as well my last two years."

Kathy Houng '10, Reunion co-chair for her class, most loved developing relationships with Cornellians from other generations during her clerking experience.

"I met a wonderful, wonderful alum named Stan Rodwin '50 who passed away in 2015. He kind of spread the love of Reunion to me all the way back 15 years ago. It feels really special to be here, keeping his legacy alive."

Kathy said that building connections across generations as an undergraduate clerk at Reunion changed her own personal trajectory, and even the way she saw the world. She felt empowered that someone much more senior than her had confidence in her ability as a clerk in just a few short days.

"Our 60+ year age gap didn't have any hindrance on how we communicated and had fun. I miss him dearly," Kathy continued. "I think to pass it forward to the next generation, that's the best you can do. It was life changing."