This fall, the Office of Students and Alumni will launch Alumni Portfolio Groups after a successful pilot group this past year. Serving 2014 graduates, Portfolio Groups respond to the growing desire for community, guidance, and resources among graduating students as they transition from being students at The Seattle School to provocateurs of change in the world.
Alumni Portfolio Groups aim to facilitate continued discernment and support, provide vocational and financial guidance, and develop practical resources for recent graduates. These conversations will occur seasonally within the familiar framework of community, something that is often expressed by recent graduates as the greatest loss in the years following graduation.
Meeting in small groups over the course of a year, Portfolio Group participants are assisted in translating the skills acquired during their time at The Seattle School for a variety of industries and employers, defining what they need as they pursue meaningful work in the world, and continuing their work of personal formation outside of The Seattle School curriculum. The format allows for group-oriented processing and helps graduates begin to foster a professional and supportive community to encourage their growth post-graduation.
Through the implementation of Portfolio Groups, The Seattle School continues to allow alumni to lead them into the world as the institution joins and partners with alumni in their contexts. In years to come, the Office of Students and Alumni plans to extend the support provided by Portfolio Groups under the guidance of the Alumni Quad, beginning in 2015 with the implementation of Portfolio Groups prior to graduation as a part of the successful (S)ending program. They also hope to extend Portfolio Groups into the first few years following graduation, with each year’s curriculum catered to particular seasons of transition in the alumni journey.
Portfolio Groups for 2014 graduates begin in late August, with nearly 75% of recent graduates expressing interest. To learn more about Alumni Portfolio Groups or volunteer to facilitate an upcoming Portfolio Group as an alumnus of The Seattle School, contact alumni@theseattleschool.edu.