By Kelly Watt, Assistant Dean of Graduate Admissions & Alumnx Relations
I’ve been fortunate enough to work at Naropa in a variety of capacities for the past six years. This time has been incredibly transformative for me, and I still marvel at how special our community is. We encourage ourselves to do more, to become better. We support one another as we grow. We are in the moment, always our authentic, human, imperfect selves.
Yet as I reflect upon my own college experience, there are things that I miss. The rhythm of the fall semester as it leads up to homecoming week, for instance – not that I ever attended a football game, or was part of a sorority, or cheered on a squad. But the idea of a week where the whole university community comes together to celebrate our shared experience, uniting past, present, and future generations of students? That’s something I can get behind.
Enter Community Week 2017. No rivalries, no games, no sidelines. Just Naropa doing what it does best: creating a safe space to build community, share wisdom, and invigorate our ‘wild Naropa fire’. Loosely based on the Year of the Firebird, the week of free events will provide students, alumni, faculty, staff, and visitors the opportunity to learn more about each other and the university’s storied history through a variety of offerings including panel discussions, presentations, interactive workshops, contemplative practice offerings, and much more.
I invite you to join us for the first annual Community Week from October 16-20, 2017. Together we’ll ignite the world.