Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

By Leah Swayne, mechanical engineering

The University of Dayton's sense of community is simply unmatched. And the ties created between current students and alumni contribute to the continued development of our community. As the alumni engagement chair of Students for University Advancement, I have the pleasure of fostering these connections and supporting UD during events like One Day, One Dayton!

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to Ray Wabler ’74, the Alumni Association gamewatch coordinator. Ray has been hosting gamewatches for over a decade and has a list of 500 people that he emails to let them know when and where in Dayton the next gamewatch will be.

In January, 24 SUA members joined Ray and about 50 members of the Alumni Association at Milano’s on Brown Street to watch the Flyers vs. La Salle game. There was great energy and excitement as the Flyers led us to victory. It was so much fun to hear stories from alumni and all about their experiences of going to basketball games as students.

During halftime SUA members went around and handed out trivia quizzes as a fun way to create conversations and learn more about Dayton’s history. Once the alumni finished their quiz they got entered into a raffle to win some UD prizes. Ray didn’t win, but I think he still had fun.

“I am Dayton through and through, and I love seeing everyone come together to support the Flyers,” he said.

He is a true Dayton enthusiast and takes great pleasure in bringing alumni together. On average, he told me that around 45 alumni attend each gamewatch, creating a vibrant and engaging atmosphere — a lot like being on campus!

Gamewatch’s are some of my favorite events that SUA hosts. It is such a fun opportunity to connect with alumni like Ray and learn more about their experiences while cheering on the Flyers. These events help to bridge the gap between students and alumni, and can create meaningful personal and professional relationships. I cannot wait to continue attending and planning these events for the rest of the semester.

And gamewatches aren’t the only events the SUA takes part in. Another favorite of mine is a program called Dinner with 5 Flyers. This is a great opportunity for an alum and five students to meet up and have dinner and talk about campus, life after graduation, professional experiences, and all things UD.

These informal meetups help create strong relationships and realize shared experiences. One of my favorite things about talking to alumni is hearing about memories from their time at the University of Dayton and learning how they are still connected.

I hear people say it, but it’s also good to see that once you’re at UD, you will always be a Flyer!