Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93 (@KieraReilly)
Alumni Weekend and Commencement is one of the happiest times at Penn. As usual, the entire Alumni Relations staff is ready to welcome the thousands of alumni, family, and friends returning to Penn to reconnect. I was especially excited to meet up with my class president Lisa Nass Grabelle and vice president Chrissy Bass Hofbeck to party hop on Saturday night so we could start planning for our 20th reunion (yikes) next year (follow us @Penn1993 or join our Facebook group Penn Class of 1993).
On Friday, I started recognizing a pattern that I hadn’t noticed before. I bumped into Sean Kelly, ’92, and his wife on Locust Walk. I didn’t know Sean at Penn, but met him after we graduated when I started working in Penn’s western regional office in Los Angeles and Sean was the president of the Penn Club of Seattle. I still remember the delicious fresh salmon he brought to barbecue at the club’s annual picnic in September. We chatted and mentioned Alexa Chiang, also ’92, who became president of the club after Sean. Alexa recently relocated to Hong Kong after several years in Shanghai, so she couldn’t attend the reunion.
Later that afternoon, I saw Phil Crosby, also ’92, returning to campus for his 20th reunion with his wife and daughters. Like Sean and Alexa, Phil too is a former club president – of the Penn Club of Northern California. While chatting with Phil, Deirdre Abramson ,’93, walked up. Phil, Deirdre, and I all know each other from the Penn Irish Club, so it was a happy Irish Club reunion. Then, yet another ’92 graduate and former club president came by, Carine Blanchet. Like Sean, Alexa, and Phil, Carine is also a former club president…like Phil, Carine was also president of the Penn Club of Northern California until last year. On Saturday, I bumped into Robby Koepel Foss .’92, at the CVS with her husband and son. Like Sean, Alexa, Phil and Carine, Robby too is a former club president – of the Penn Club of Austin. Unlike Sean, Alexa, Phil and Carine, Robby is also a current Penn Club President. Since last year Robby has led and revitalized the Penn Club of San Diego.
Penn Irish Club Reunion
So, I’m not sure what happened when the Class of 1992 (@UPenn92) was at Penn, but many of them moved west and are active and engaged alumni…and leading our regional alumni clubs! Hurrah, Hurrah for the Global Alumni Network and the leadership in the Penn Class of 1992!
If you are a member of the Class of 1992, or any class at Penn, I encourage you to join the Global Alumni Network…don’t let ’92 have all the fun!
Frankly Penn 