Across the decades, no matter who you talk to, Alma College alumni say the same thing: Alma just feels like home.
Regardless of where we found our niche — Model United Nations, athletics, choir, band, our roommates, a Greek organization, a classroom or lab … the list goes on … — Alma College gave us a place we could belong. We found our people.
You can help us celebrate the people, places and programming that help foster a sense of belonging at Alma College. Alma Day is an annual event when alumni, parents, and friends join together to celebrate all the things that make Alma College special.
Please join us on Tuesday, March 12, to celebrate Alma Day, or visit our Community Funded page to learn how you can help today.
In recognition of Alma Day, we polled current students to find out what makes them feel that special sense of belonging that we all experience when we’re on-campus. See what they said below.
Social life
Alisha Isenberg
Sophomore
My friends. Even the upperclass students have been very welcoming. Everyone treats everyone the same, regardless of their class year.
Jaelyn Lance-Trout
Sophomore
I’m a part of a few campus organizations — Spirit Squad, choir and First-Year Guides — that makes me feel like I know someone wherever I go.
Hallie Weaver
Senior
The community that we have here is special. We all come from different places, but manage to find commonalities in a unique way.
Josh Elliott
Sophomore
The small class sizes make it easier to get to know people in your class.
Raven Gregory
Sophomore
My friends!
Rebecca Kenny
Junior
My classes, friends and clubs and organization help make Alma feel like a welcoming and wholesome environment.
Kylee Lary
Junior
I’m a member of Phi Sigma Sigma, and we care very much about each other.
Alex Kennedy
Senior
It’s extremely easy to meet people on this campus — and even if you don’t necessarily know someone, odds are good that they are very friendly.
Emily Lanning
Junior
I’ve been a part of some clubs and organizations — Model United Nations, Gamma Phi Beta and Alpha Phi Omega — that have all made me feel a sense of belonging.
Charly Sommers
Senior
I was a transfer student from a larger school and the difference between the two communities is like night and day. People here know who you are.
Ava Kelly
Junior
The sheer variety of clubs and student organizations is amazing. It provides me with people who support me and let me take on leadership roles.
Emily Dimock
Sophomore
It’s a small community, but that’s a good thing. It makes me feel like I can connect with my classmates. We’re all going through the same things.
Lydia Schramm
First-year
During my first week here on campus, I joined a bunch of clubs and organizations, and in that way, I found my circle.
KJ Williams
Junior
The welcoming environment makes me feel like I belong. Everyone is very friendly.
Rayfielle Garland
Junior
It’s a great environment. I feel like I have close relationships with everyone.
Riley Bender
Senior
It’s a wonderful, tight-knit community.
Mackenzie Harwood
Senior
Students, staff and faculty are so supportive. You get the perspective that they are genuinely happy to be here.
On-campus jobs
Justice Zurakowski
Senior
My on-campus job in Student Affairs. There is always someone to talk to.
William Troxell
Senior
I work in the Information Technology office and the way that I’m able to help faculty, students and staff in that capacity makes me feel engaged.
Regan Mockerman
Junior
I have a job in the Heritage Center for the Performing Arts and my supervisor, Meghan Bartlett, does a great job of showing me she cares.
Sam Sircely
Junior
I have a job on campus that lets me interact with students, staff and faculty face-to-face. I get to know them and they get to know me and that feels great.
Faculty and staff
Syd Lopez
Senior
You’re able to have close relationships with faculty members that foster opportunities for growth. I was able to choreograph a musical on campus and my professors felt like I did so well, they hooked me up with an opportunity to choreograph a musical at a local high school.
Reyna Jayson
Junior
The administration and faculty make this campus feel very homey. They are so kind and understanding.
Charlotte Howald
Junior
The faculty here makes me feel so heard. Within the first week of classes, they know you by name.
Ethan Vollstedt
Senior
I’m on the soccer team and every time our Athletics communication staff posts something about me on social media, I always have a faculty member who tells me they saw my highlight. That means a lot to me.
Cassandra Johnson
Senior
The faculty here are very welcoming and willing to listen to what you have to say.
Mariella Cusack
Sophomore
Our academic advisors work hard for us. I’m a nursing major and my academic advisor is working to ensure that I can graduate with a concentration in integrative physiology and health science. I really appreciate that.
Dalanie Mott
Junior
The events that our Campus Life staff work to put on do a great job of making students feel like they belong.
Sandra Voskoboynikova
Senior
Faculty at this college are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before — they are extremely friendly. I also get a lot of support from staff like Dani Rossman, who work with international students to ensure they have success.
Jesse Mann
Junior
The communication between students and faculty is amazing. If something is troubling me, I know I can go to them.
Alivia Giles
Senior
The support from the English department faculty!
Katie Gregones
Junior
I love the faculty in the history department. They keep up with you even after you graduate.
Anna Thornburgh
First-year
The faculty here take a lot of time to work with students and it’s obvious that they care very much about who we are and what we do.
Kara Sutherland
Senior
Since I’ve started here, people have always called me by name. Whether it’s my admissions representative or the faculty members whose classes I’ve taken, that gesture has always meant so much to me.
Aishat Ostanbekova
Junior
Here, it’s not just about the place, it’s about the people who make you feel welcome.
Aditya Hiremath
First-year
The faculty who are here keep a close eye on how you’re doing and want to make sure you succeed.
Athletics
Sarah Wortley
First-year
I’m a member of the bowling team, and we do a lot of volunteer activities together. That makes me feel like I’m helping the community in an active way.
Aaron Jaciuk
Senior
The coaches on the football team have always engaged with me well. They make me feel like I matter.
Oshyn Carnes
Senior
I’m a member of the football team and the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and I feel like I’m never alone, in any class that I’m in.
Jacob Campbell
Senior
I’m a member of the cross-country team and that environment makes me feel like I have friends and family wherever I go.
Sofia Heuerman
Junior
I’m a member of the dance team and the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and the relationships with members of those groups make me feel like I belong.
Gene Huskey IV
Senior
The upperclass students on the football team were welcoming to me even before I came to campus and they have remained my friends through my entire time at the college. They made me feel like I was a part of something bigger.
Madison Wilkinson
Junior
I’m on the softball team and it’s a wonderful, tight-knit atmosphere. I was a transfer student, so I didn’t necessarily come in with my teammates at the same time, but they welcomed me with open arms.
Mackayla Pirie
Senior
I’m a member of Gamma Phi Beta and I was on the swimming team for three years. They made me feel like I always have friends on campus.
Grace Gottschalk
Sophomore
I’m a member of the cheer and STUNT teams and our culture is focused around unity.
Vicky Villarosa
Sophomore
The volleyball team is like my family.
Jordyn Vandermeer
Sophomore
I’m on the cheer and STUNT teams, so, I would say that my personal relationships with teammates and the coaching staff, as well as the faculty at Alma, make me feel like I belong.
Ande Strand
Junior
I’m on the cross country and track teams. When I was a first-year student, all of the upperclass students on the team took me in. Every year, we go through the same process, to make everyone feel like they belong.
Other reasons!
Chloe Anderson
Sophomore
The large amount of travel I’ve undertaken in my short time here makes me feel like I’m a part of campus.
Lourdes Gutierrez
Junior
The traditions that we have here, like going to football games, are strong.