“We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sense of sacredness in that reaching.”
– Paul Tsongas

On a recent Friday morning, I was leading a tour of about 20 alumni and their families and we interrupted a Theater class. In true impromptu fashion, we asked theater teacher Mr. Ciaravino,and senior Ricardo to share their thoughts on the theater program at Keystone. They offered beautiful reflections. In turn, several alumni, who were here to celebrate their 50th reunion, offered their own reflections on their time in high school and beyond.  It was a moving inter-generational moment, and epitomized why maintaining connections with former Cobras is so important.  

We hold two alumni days in January. The initial one comes the first week of the second semester and brings together current college students with Upper Schoolers. The 9th-12th graders hear what the college students wished they had known when they were younger and what college is really like. Because the speakers are their Keystone predecessors, the current students pay close attention.

Later in the month, alumni long out of college discuss their lives and careers since leaving Keystone. Here again, these former Cobras share lessons on life in college, graduate school, establishing a career, and building a life. Between workshops and a panel discussion in the theater, students receive invaluable advice while also enjoying tales of life at Keystone from earlier generations of students. Perhaps the most edifying moment on the day comes when alumni and students gather during lunch and the upper schoolers can ask questions informally. 

Of the many ways that alumni maintain ties with Keystone, the most impactful may be the way they provide a context in time and space for our current students. Keystone faculty/staff members can make suggestions or recommendations to students and the children and young adults may actually heed these words; nevertheless, advice coming from someone who’s walked the same halls, sat in the same classrooms, and in some cases had the same teachers carries an extra weight. It also provides reassurance that things may be challenging right now, but they will get better and there’s benefit to all the work students are doing now.  

We’ve often heard current students say about alumni, “I want to do what that person is doing,” or “I hope to be like that person.” The value this offers is incalculable.  

Alumni help Keystone in a number of other ways. Director of Development and Alumni Relations Adriana Villafranca connects high schoolers who are looking at certain colleges or universities with alumni who attend those schools or went there in the past. She also attempts to link students with former Cobras with job opportunities or internships. Through their generous financial support, alumni help make projects like the East Campus and Brown Hall possible. 

“Alumni relations are important to a school’s long-term strength because connections with alumni help transform our students into lifelong mentors, supporters, and ambassadors of Keystone,” says Ms. Villafranca. “Engaged alumni contribute in many ways through philanthropy, career guidance, and sharing real-world experiences, while fostering a sense of legacy that strengthens the entire school community.  They provide a lasting connection and perspective that enriches the lives of our current students and builds meaningful relationships around shared interests.”

In addition, some alumni serve on the Board of Trustees, including Chair Ray Flores and Vice Chair Victoria Shum Bush.  Ray, who headed to Harvard University after graduating from Keystone in 1990 explains, ““Keystone Alumni represent the school’s legacy of academic excellence and serve as the example for today and tomorrow’s students,” while Victoria Shum Bush,who matriculated to the University of Texas at Austin in 2000 and received her law degree from St. Mary’s Law School in 2012 adds, “relationships among students and teachers are so special. So although students may get on each other’s nerves occasionally, they’re still experiencing each other’s ups and downs together and they become bonded almost like family. That bond doesn’t go away when students graduate.  Alumni, even if they didn’t know each other during their time at Keystone, have the shared experience of being a Keystoner and are invested in each other, as is the faculty.  Keeping in touch with the school is a wonderful way to keep a second home throughout college and beyond, preserve memories, and give back. That can be through volunteering, mentoring, or just dropping in on faculty and staff to say hello and let them know how you’re doing.”

Carolyn Brown Langenkamp graduated from Keystone in 1967 and headed to Rice University for freshman and sophomore years, transferred to Simmons College in Boston for junior and senior years, and graduated from Simmons in 1971. She earned her Master Degree in Sociology from the University of California at Riverside, a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of California at Davis in 1979, and had a very successful career as a civil rights lawyer before retiring in 2017.

She said, “Keystone provides a complex, multi-dimensional experience for its students:  enriched, accelerated scholastic education, personal connections with a sense of community, opportunities to develop skills and interests based on our unique perspectives and life histories.  Bonds are formed for life.  It is important for Keystone to keep in touch with former Cobras to maintain that bond, to demonstrate to former Cobras that Keystone is still interested in them, that this is an ongoing relationship.

She adds though, that this is a two-way relationship. “It is also important for Keystone to let us know about the ongoing dedication at the school to develop students as whole human beings.  The accolades and the list of impressive colleges Keystone grads will attend are something we expect.  What is reinvigorating is the commitment to evidence-based decision making, to fostering a safe environment for students of all backgrounds, to the enriched curriculum (art, drama, sports, e.g.).”

Truth be told, we have not always done a good job on being in touch with alumni over the years. We have worked over the past few years to do a better job, and we still have a ways to go.  After years of pandemic-imposed virtual alumni get-togethers, Adriana and I have hit the road again this year to meet with people in person. Our tour this year has included stops in San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Houston. We hope to move beyond the Lone Star State soon. These meetings provide alumni with the chance to see one another, offer thoughts on their time at Keystone, and hear updates about their school. They are thoroughly enjoyable and informative. 

Alumni, if you are reading this and have not been in contact, we hope you will reach out and let us know how you’re doing. There are many reasons we want to hear from you. Please remember that even if you’re far away or you attended Keystone years ago, you’re still an integral element of the Cobra community.