Alumnx Reunion Weekend
Friday & Saturday, October 17 & 18, 2025
Naropa University Arapahoe & Nalanda Campuses in Boulder, Colorado
President Dr. Paul Burkhardt and the entire Naropa University community cordially invite you to the Alumnx Reunion Weekend! All alumnx, all programs, and all graduation years welcome. Please join us for a weekend of events offering connection, contemplation, and celebration in community.
Schedule of Events
The Alumnx Reunion Weekend kicks off with SparkTalks on Friday night and an Alumnx Reunion Reception on Saturday night.
- 4:00–6:00 PM // Arapahoe Campus Green
Welcome & Family Picnic
Arrive for the weekend, grab your welcome bag, and enjoy complimentary food and beverages under the sycamores. Families and partners welcome! Fun activities and games for one and all. Optional tours of the Arapahoe campus will be available.
- 7:00 PM // Performing Arts Center, Arapahoe Campus
SparkTalks
SparkTalks, dynamic presentations that share the wisdom of Naropa University’s alumnx, will open your heart, broaden your perspective, and enliven your spirit.
Naropa alumnx will share their experiences, stories, ideas, inquiries, research, poetry & artwork around the theme of “Both/And.”
Zoom link: https://naropa.zoom.us/j/92254016025
Presenters
- Lucia Cordeiro Drever (MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology, 2020) – Dear Belly
- Paula De Oliveira Santos (MA Transpersonal Art Therapy, 2018) – Liberation: How to Develop Intimacy with Grief to Find Freedom
- Kevin Mays (MA Contemplative Psychotherapy, 1994) – Lead Yourself First: Who You Are Is How You Lead
- Joe Richie (BA Writing, 1984) and Carla Friedman (BA Poetics, 1985) – Either/Or to Both/And
- Tajah Schall (MA Somatic Counseling Psychology, 2015) and Rachael Collins (MA Somatic Counseling Psychology, 2015) – Re-contextualizing Embodiment: The Use of Rhythm to Weave Presence, Build Community and Invoke the Sacred
- Gabriel Vanaver (BA Music and Traditional Eastern Arts, 2017) – Musical Storytelling: Inspiring Youth
- Yasha S. Wagner (BA Religious Studies, 2018) – Both Inner and Outer Change: The Intersection of Personal and Collective Transformation
- 9:00–11:00 AM // Café on the second floor of Nalanda
Continental Breakfast & Tea
Drop in for a bite before or after attending one of the contemplative practice offerings or experiential sessions.
- 9:30–11:00 AM // Nalanda Locations
Contemplative Practice & Experiential Sessions
Reconnect with Naropa through a variety of contemplative practice and experiential offerings.
Sitting Meditation
with Swechhya Rajbhandari (BA Contemplative Psychology, ’20) and Lisa Wallace (MA Contemplative Psychotherapy, ’17)
Location: Nalanda Meditation Hall
How can contemplative practice free us from habitual patterns of thought and behavior that do not serve our highest potential? How can contemplative practice open our minds and hearts to a broader view that supports liberation for all? Join fellow alumnx in a sitting meditation practice designed for all levels of experience.
Seeing Anew, Weaving Belonging
with Monica Mueller, Associate Professor of Ecopsychology, Environmental & Interdisciplinary Studies
Location: Nalanda 9235
Gather together to honor the life and teachings of Joanna Macy, whose vision of deep ecology and the Work That Reconnects continues to guide us through uncertain times. Together, we’ll practice two embodied invitations into relationship: “milling/learning to see,” a way of encountering one another with fresh eyes, and “the web of life,” a shared exploration of our interdependence. These simple yet profound practices remind us that against the backdrop of ecological unraveling and the erosion of democratic values, we are still part of something larger, resilient, and alive. Come as you are—curious, tender, or weary—and leave with a felt sense of kinship that strengthens courage for the path ahead.
Illusion Frequency
with Swanee Astrid
Location: Nalanda 9248
“Tell all the truth, but tell it slant…” Emily Dickinson once wrote, as herald to the Cavalries of Love. & what is truth but a language of symbols, prayers, chants, metaphors digressions, distraction sent to us in our darkest hour?
What has been handed to us as truth? What have we observed as Real? The lines blur, the transmission stutters then steadies; all is not as it seams. We’re on the Illusion Frequency, radio dialed in; glitches & inconsistencies are the signals we seek.
Together, we will explore strategies for erasure, for circumlocution, for digression, surveillance, and permission. We will say what goes without saying. We will find your way out of the panopticon, “the small captive shadows in the cells of the periphery” (Foucault, Discipline & Punishment: The Birth of the Prison). Let Swanee Astrid (MFA Writing & Poetics, ’16) be your guide.
- 11:00 AM–12:00 PM // Nalanda
Alumnx Association Interest Session & Listening Circle
Join Kelly Watt, Director of Alumnx Relations, in an informal conversation to envision what Naropa’s Alumnx Association could be. Bring your ideas, curiosities, and an open mind.
- 12:00–2:00 PM // Nalanda Events Center
Inauguration of Paul Burkhardt, PhD
The inauguration of Dr. Paul Burkhardt as the 8th president of Naropa University is more than a ceremonial milestone—it is a celebration of community, shared values, and collective vision. Together, we will welcome new leadership that honors the spirit of our university while guiding us toward new opportunities for growth and transformation. Learn more and RSVP for Inauguration.
- 6:00–8:00 PM // LOCATION: DOJO Room
Reunion Reception Remix with DJ DeVine
Tickets: Free // Open to alumnx, faculty, staff, and friends of Naropa
For those that want to have great conversations and get grounded with some authentic Naropa people…this is for you. Come reconnect and rejuvenate in a space that’s all Naropa. Enjoy music by DJ DeVine (David DeVine, BA Interdisciplinary Studies ’12), food and drink by Wilde, and the company of some amazing people for an evening to remember.
Must be 21 to attend.
Photos from Last Year's Alumnx Reunion
Alumnx Reunion Weekend Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register?
How much does it cost to attend the Alumnx Reunion Weekend?
The entire weekend is free!
Are spouses/partners/significant others/children invited?
Yes, they are welcome to attend events throughout the weekend! The Welcome & Family Picnic on Friday is geared towards families and significant others; use your best judgment on what other events may be suitable for children. The Reunion Reception requires that attendees must be age 21 and older.
Are faculty and staff invited to attend?
What if I didn’t graduate from Naropa, can I still attend?
Yes, we welcome anyone connected with Naropa to return for the Reunion Weekend, including former students that did not complete their degrees here.
Can I attend even if I didn’t register?
Can I attend part of the weekend?
Is there a dress code?
What if I have need accessibility accommodations?
Please contact Kelly Watt with a description of your needs.
Other questions?
Reach out to Kelly Watt, Senior Director of Alumnx Relations.
