On Monday the 16th of March, the Community of Students and Alumni committee had the pleasure of welcoming Chris ’85 and Bevin ‘88 Buchheister to campus for CSA’s first Path to Passion event of the semester. The event was advertised to the Washington College student body as a chance for students to hear stories and gain insight from Chris and Bevin who have both led exciting lives together after their time at WC.
Jenny Hutton (Volunteer Coordinator in the Alumni House), Chris and Bevin and I met for dinner at the Lemon Leaf before the event. It was great to catch up with Chris who I had met the previous summer while working as a Washington College Voyager in Annapolis. I had emailed him at the beginning of the summer and asked to meet with him to hear about his experience at WC and his journey after. We met and chatted for about two hours, which just shows how willing WC alumni are to talk to current students if they are willing to reach out!
The event was held in the living room of the Alumni House and had a cozy, “fireside chat” sort of feel. Chris and Bevin were both excited to see that two of their favorite professors, Sean O’Connor and Jeff Chaffin had come to see them and hear them talk. After a brief introduction by CSA co-chair Arian Ravanbakhsh ’89, Chris and Bevin began by talking about their experiences as students at the College. They shared some of their favorite memories and recalled a few that they shared with Professor O’Connor and Professor Chaffin. They spoke to the student attendees as if they were speaking to their own children and asked each of them questions about their interests, majors, and possible career plans. One student who attended shared Bevin’s interests in the Chesapeake Bay and she gave him insight on her professional experiences writing and enacting environmental policy regarding the Bay. Chris shared stories about his time in the U.S. Navy after college, which included spending months at a time in Antarctica!
To end the program, Chris and Bevin discussed how much their experiences at Washington College helped shape them into the people that they are today. Their four years at WC were invaluable and various parts of their experience at WC contributed to the paths that they followed. Everyone who attended, as well as Chris and Bevin, had a wonderful time and got a lot out of the evening.
CSA looks forward to hosting more Path to Passion events in the future. If you are a WC alum and would like to be a part of or volunteer to speak at one of these programs, please let us know!
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