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By Haley Sarsfield ’02
When I left Lafayette, I knew immediately where I was going to live — New York City. The idea of so many people and so many things to see and do excited me. But after living in NYC for two years, I began to miss the close network of friends and fellow students that Lafayette offered me when I was in school. To reconnect with that feeling of closeness and belonging, I decided to join the NYC Lafayette Alumni Chapter. I emailed the alumni office on campus and was immediately contacted by the NYC chapter president, Jon Ellis, who encouraged me to go to the next meeting and see what it was all about.
Joining the NYC alumni chapter was something I should have done as soon as I arrived in NYC. I immediately felt welcomed by the group and was excited by the idea of helping to organize events and meeting fellow alumni new and old. I left my first event, a wine-tasting party that I planned and hosted, realizing exactly what I had been missing. Getting together with fellow Lafayette alumni was comforting. We seemed to have a connection no matter what year we graduated. And as a result of a great first turnout and rare reviews, I was able to organize similar wine-tasting events for two years in a row after my first. Every year, it was nice to see old friends reconnecting with each other again and new friends being made.
At first, moving to NYC was about me wanting to be a part of a big city, but looking back, I realize that the happiest times I spent in NYC were the times I was with my close circle of Lafayette friends and fellow alumni. It felt like seeing family when we all got together, and I’m extremely thankful to the NYC Lafayette Alumni Chapter for giving me the opportunity to facilitate more of these meetings and to continue being a part of such a special group of people post-college. I encourage anyone who has a chapter in their city to attend a function or join the committee. I promise it will be rewarding.
Haley Sarsfield ’02 served as an active member of the New York City Alumni Chapter’s executive committee before her recent move to South Carolina, where she works as a client service officer for U.S. Trust.