The Journey to Alumni

With commencement quickly approaching, Maddie Flynn ’24 and J.T. Burgio ’24 are realizing how much of their journey into becoming alumni starts during their senior year. As co-chairs of the Senior Class Engagement Committee, they’ve spent this past year building on relationships with their peers and reflecting on what’s made an impact on them.

An English major and member of the women’s rowing team, Maddie spends much of her time on the water. Her teammates, she enthused, have shaped her entire Holy Cross experience.

While talking to her classmates for the Senior Class Engagement Committee, Maddie “encourages people to think first about specific moments, clubs, or things that were instrumental in their time at HC,” she said. When the time came to make her own gift, making it to the women’s rowing team was the obvious choice. “This team has taught me and given me so much more than I could ever give back to.”

J.T. is a history major aiming to attend law school, and is heavily involved in Working for Worcester, the sports broadcasting radio station and the club soccer team. He made his gift in honor of two professors who made a significant impact on his time at the College.

Through their roles as co-chairs, they’ve also had the opportunity to interact with other alumni and class chairs and witnessed firsthand the pride, passion and community that alumni carry with them long after graduation. Encouraged by this spirit, Maddie and J.T. have set the bar high for this year’s senior class engagement committee: they’re aiming to surpass 75% class participation to break the record set five years ago by the class of 2019. They have already achieved other key milestones, with 100% of student-athletes giving back and 16 seniors making a PC-level gift so far — including Maddie and J.T.

“Holy Cross has given a lot to us,” explained Maddie. “I hope that everyone who makes a gift has that moment of recognizing everything Holy Cross has done for them, and that giving is a way to honor that.”