Highlights from Homecoming 2021

On November 5-6, alumni from the last six decades participated in Homecoming 2021 at The King’s College, which featured both in-person and virtual elements to include alumni across the country.

Festivities began Friday, November 5, with seven regional Homecoming receptions, a new approach for 2021. The New York City reception was hosted in the O’Keeffe Student Union. Seventy-three alumni were welcomed by Sophia Coston, executive director of alumni relations, and connected with fellow alumni, faculty, staff, and current students over beverages and hors d’oeuvres. A sizable group from 1971 attended in celebration of 50 years since graduation, and they participated in a tour of the current campus led by current student Olivia Staggs (Humanities ’23).

Meanwhile, alumni in other cities enjoyed gatherings of their own, with additional receptions in Seattle, Wash.; Phoenix, Ariz., Denver, Colo., Frisco, Texas; Washington, D.C., and Middleboro, Mass. All told, 170 King’s and Northeastern Bible College alumni gathered at these in-person events, enjoying fellowship and making new connections with alumni in their region. See photos from each reception at The King’s College Community Portal.

Doug and Kathy Forbes (both NBC ’73), the hosts of the Massachusetts reception, shared, “We had a wonderful evening of sharing humorous and touching stories. We enjoyed great food, lively music, wonderful fellowship, and fun displays.”

Alexandra (Harrison) Gaiser (PPE ’12), the host of the Washington D.C. reception, commented, “We enjoyed good food and friends with a delightful outdoor fire on a lovely fall evening. It was wonderful seeing Kingsians who had graduated before me and after me, and getting to connect to an institution older than any of us while looking forward to the future together.”

During Saturday’s online program, Holly Tate (Business ’10), the president of the alumni association executive committee, welcomed alumni to various presentations around the theme of decision. Steve French (NBC ’80), a member of the alumni association executive committee, opened the program with prayer and a devotional. He reminded listeners that the most important decision every person makes in their life is in deciding how to answer Jesus when He says, “Come, follow me.”

WATCH: Full recording from Saturday’s virtual Homecoming program

Rebecca Au-Mullaney (MCA ’15), director of strategic communications at King’s, then shared the reasons for why the theme “Decision” was chosen as the theme for both the Emblem magazine and Homecoming. “The mystery of God’s action joined with our own is something that makes the community of The King’s College and Northeastern Bible College so special,” Au-Mullaney said. “We believe that we should act based on our convictions, even when that takes us into places of discomfort and difficulty. But, we don’t enter those places alone. God is there with us in the heights and in the depths.”

After that, Bridget Rogers, chief development officer at King’s, interviewed three current students, Drew Nagy (Finance ’24), Alexa Howard (Humanities ’24), and Marcos Cabral (Business ’22). They shared why they each decided to attend King’s and what lessons they had learned during their time in college so far.

President Tim Gibson gave an update on the College, sharing recent highlights. He explained the College’s new strategic alliance with Primacorp Ventures, a Canadian for-profit company, that has been enlisted to help with marketing, advertising, and recruiting. He also shared that The King’s College will soon be offering full four-year online degrees, as well as an upcoming new program called King’s Global Passages, where students can study both in New York City and at major cities throughout the world.

Next, Jonathan Seidl (PPE ’09), member of the alumni association executive committee, facilitated interviews with several alumni. Rob Frazier (English ’75) shared about his music career as a performer, producer, and songwriter. Michael Wojick (Biblical Studies ’83) talked about his career as a pilot in the U.S. Navy, before focusing on cyber-security with the Missile Defense Agency, a part of the U.S. Department of Defense. Helen (van Dalen) Brussee (Business ’16) shared about her work in healthcare project management and her current studies at the University of Amsterdam. Carol Cool (NBC ’78) talked about her life, sharing about her experiences following God’s leading as a motivational speaker, Christian author, and corporate copywriter.

Chris Ross (PPE ’10), member of the alumni association executive committee, gave an update on the committee’s work to revise the language around the annual alumni awards. Fellow executive committee member Matt Kaal (PPE ’09) then explained the vision for new alumni chapters. Each chapter will plan three to four in-person events throughout the year to encourage further engagement between alumni.

Dr. Joshua Kinlaw, assistant professor of history and humanities, gave a keynote address on the history and the value of the liberal arts. Kinlaw reflected on quotes from the Roman philosophers Pliny the Younger and Seneca to explore how the liberal arts prepare young people to grow in wisdom, character, and virtue. “My point is not to be clever or to interrogate the liberal arts,” he explained. “My goal is to remind us, ‘Why the liberal arts?’ is a perennial debate that we’ve not yet fully plumbed.”

In the last part of the program, Sophia Coston explained her role as the executive director of alumni relations at the College and announced the new Community Portal for alumni networking. Through a poll conducted via Zoom with alumni in attendance, Darien Contu (PPE ’16) was then elected as the new president of the Alumni Association Executive Committee. Darien works as a program manager at the Stand Together Foundation, and currently lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband Isaiah and their newborn son Wilson.

The online program concluded with prayer, before dismissing to virtual campus reunion breakout rooms where alumni could share and connect with other alumni from their particular campus.

Reflecting on the entire Homecoming weekend, Coston said, “This weekend we saw alumni gather across the country to celebrate their alma mater. The King’s community demonstrated a commitment and desire to engage with their fellow classmates and connect with various generations of King’s alumni. I was especially delighted to see alumni gather from the Class of 1971, who celebrated their 50th reunion.”