Homecoming is a time to celebrate Ohio University and everything that we love about it as students. None of us like thinking about how in four, sometimes five, years we will have to graduate and leave our home. Homecoming is a great time to see all of the Alumni coming back to the university that has given them so much. As students, we embrace the festivities of homecoming with no questions asked, but it must truly mean something to come home after being in the real world. Here is homecoming from the views of two separate alumni.
Lauren Thrasher is a recent graduate of Ohio University. She has graduated in the spring 2013 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communications with a Psychology minor and a focus in social media. She currently works in Columbus as an Administrative Assistant for a liquor distributor.
1. How many homecomings have you attended as an alumni?
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This will be my 3rd homecoming.
2. How do you feel about coming home for homecoming?
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I am incredibly excited to come back and see everyone. It’s great getting to see people I might not have seen since last homecoming or even since graduating.
3. How is your homecoming experience different now as an alumni than it was as an undergraduate?
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While I got the sense of community homecoming brought to OU as an undergraduate, I don’t think I really appreciated it until I started coming back as an alumni. It’s amazing that people can move across the country, even to the other side of the world, but we’ll always be welcome back home. Everyone that comes back shares a connection, whether you’re an undergraduate, a recent grad, or you’ve been out of school for years. It always touches me to see.
4. Are you planning on attending the football game and parade?
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I’m definitely planning on seeing the parade with friends and going to the football game. It wouldn’t be homecoming without seeing the floats or Marching 110.
5. What are you most looking forward to coming hOUme?
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Seeing all of my friends, undergraduate and alumni.
6. Is there a different level of respect you feel coming back as an alumni?
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I do think there is a level of respect when you come back as alumni. It’s a little disconcerting when you come back for you first come back, but it’s great feeling a certain respect from undergraduates.
7. What is the age range of people that come back for home coming? (do a lot of your friends come back or is it mostly much older alumni, etc.)
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I think the range is enormous. I’ve seen everyone from recent graduates to a couple in their 60’s jamming with the alumni band in the parade. What I love about homecoming is it isn’t catered to a certain age group. There is something for everyone, whether they’re recent graduates and they just want to see their younger friends or they’re older and they want to reminisce about their time at OU. I love talking to the older groups and hearing about their versions of OU. My dad went to OU and it’s so funny getting to hear about his time here.
8. What do you miss most about being at Ohio University?
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Having everything within walking distance. Especially my friends. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I talk about buying one big apartment in a city just so we can have that feeling back.
9. What keeps brining you back to OU?
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It’s the people! The community here is great. Whenever I meet someone out in the “real world” and we find out we both went to OU, there is an instant connection. It also helps that the drinks are cheap.
Photo from bloomberg.com
Eric Schott is another alumni of Ohio University and graduated in 1993. He is a high school English teacher and helps run the student newspaper. Originally Schott came to Ohio University for journalism and when he graduated he had a job working for a paper in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Even though the paper liked his computer skills Schott wanted to do more writing instead of layout, so when that was not possible he decided to go back to school to become a teacher.
1. How many homecomings have you attended as an alumni?
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I have never come back for homecoming weekend. My friends and I would go down for non-weekends. You want to remember it and experience it the way that it was. It was not ever about homecoming or Halloween when we were in school. It was about those normal weekends.
2. Have you come back for any football games or OU events?
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Yes about 5 years ago. A while ago when OU played Pitt was the most memorable. It was a Friday night game. OU won in overtime on an interception. Everyone on the hill followed him down the field to where he made the touchdown on the campus side of the field. Then I was
running around trying to see former students when I lost all of my friends. Around 1:30 am I gave up and decided to drive home (to Pittsburgh) and got there around 5 am. My friends and I have met other places to watch Ohio University’s football team play.
3. Is there a different level of respect you feel coming back as an alumni?
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It’s different. After we graduated we tried to come back a lot first 5 years. Early on it’s like when you try to go back and visit high school. You blend in but you also see your friends are not there. You know everything and it’s your place but you see your time has passed and it’s not yours anymore. Now it is like you trying to go back to elementary school. No way people look at you and think you blend in. You’re a visitor instead of participant. It has changed a lot.
4. What do you miss most about being at Ohio University?
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All the stuff that we did. Not class. I miss going uptown on a Thursday night after working on the Post. Thursdays were my long night and afterwards we would all head uptown. Playing intermural. The trips to where ever the football team was playing so that I could cover the game. Being around so many different people. Having a home that was not really a home but kind of home. Meeting lots of people and then boom everyone is gone.
5. What keeps bringing you back to OU?
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Meeting up with friends. It is familiar and there are good memories there. Remembering all the good times and the people you spent them with. No matter what we did it was fun. If you would listen in on our conversations now I can tell you the 6 or 7 stories that would be told. They are told every time we get together. Just seeing it and being there is remembering young. The atmosphere and kids. The memories.
Cover photo from hercampus.com
