President and Alumni team visit US
With Giles the Lamb in tow, they received a very warm welcome from alumni based throughout the state and really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with alumni across sectors, including technology, sustainability, education, and entertainment. The trip highlighted what an engaging community of alumni we have and the overwhelming interest in connecting with fellow alumni in the region and across matriculation years.
An unexpected highlight of the trip was stepping straight into the future, experiencing AI and technological progress first‑hand during a journey in Waymo’s driverless cars!
In San Francisco, the President delivered a talk on ‘The Real World of Forensics from Kosovo to Oxford’ to our alumni based in the Bay Area. The President drew connections between her work in the forensics world and the ways it connected to the SJC crypt. The evening was also an opportunity to share the College’s future plans with our alumni.
The team then joined alumni and their guests for a small dinner in Palo Alto, kindly hosted by Shamim and Simon Tong. There was such a vibrant energy in the room, and a wonderful opportunity to create connections with those residing in the Palo Alto region.
The West Coast visit concluded in the beautiful rooftop setting of the Proper Hotel, where alumni based in Southern California came together to give the President a fitting send‑off before her return to the UK, while Kristina headed east for the next stage of the trip.
Associate Development Director Tom Childs flew to New York to join Kristina for a week in early April to meet alumni in the tri-state area. Both Tom and Kristina found it particularly rewarding to see such a wide span of matriculation years join them for a drinks reception in midtown Manhattan.
It was a privilege for the team to meet so many alumni across the US, reconnect with those far from Oxford, and hear about the remarkable work the St John’s community is doing across the globe. Thank you to all our alumni who attended our events and those we had the chance to meet along the way.
The College is putting plans in place to return soon, so please stay tuned!
