Our Alumni:
Forever Engaged
Alumni love to say they “bleed Orange,” which means more than cheering in the Dome until you lose your voice or sporting Syracuse gear wherever you go. Forever Orange proved our alumni are some of the proudest, best connected and most supportive anywhere. Syracuse roots run deep…and circle the globe.
SU Day at the Mets is always a popular event for NYC-area alumni!
Students network with leaders of the 50 fastest-growing alumni businesses at the 2024 ’CUSE50 Summit. (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)
Alumni gather for a Greek organization group photo during the record-setting Coming Back Together 2024 reunion.
From the Dome to the Duomo on a 2024 alumni trip to Florence, Italy.
Bob Costas ’74 kicks off the Boeheim Beyond Basketball series over brunch during Orange Central 2023.
What spirit! Alumni fill the Quad as the Marching Band performs before Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech.
From attending a New Student Send-off as a high school senior to serving as a director on the Syracuse University Alumni Association Board, Andrew Regalado ’20 is an exemplary Orange ambassador. As co-chair of the Alumni Club of Washington, D.C., he established the Orange Connections mentorship program, fostering relationships between alumni and students in our nation’s capital. While serving on the Generation Orange Leadership Council, he spearheaded an initiative for the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry, recruiting nearly 200 donors and raising more than $9,000. Participating in career panels for the Maxwell School, Regalado shares his experiences with current students. His unwavering support and leadership continue to strengthen the Syracuse University community.
Davita N. Carpenter ’92 played on the women’s basketball team and has remained deeply connected to her alma mater through various volunteer roles. A member of the Syracuse University Alumni Association Board of Directors, she helps strengthen alumni engagement efforts from her home on the West Coast—most recently offering guidance to fellow alumni during the Los Angeles Career Retreat. Carpenter also serves on the executive team of Black Oranges, an organization of former student-athletes advocating for racial justice and equity within the Syracuse community. Her commitment exemplifies the spirit of giving back and fostering positive change.
Leading By Example
Forever Orange created opportunities for volunteerism and leadership at every stage of one’s academic and professional journey. The Forever Orange Student Alumni Council promotes student giving and engagement, while the Generation Orange Leadership Council empowers recent alumni to remain connected. Every school, college and special unit has a robust advisory board supporting the vision of their respective deans and University leaders, and Regional Councils strengthen bonds with the Syracuse community in other cities. These groups led the charge to support Forever Orange and reflect the promise that our ties to Syracuse are lifelong.
Powerful orange Network
30K+
alumni engaged
at events
53K+
alumni engaged
on Facebook
15K+
alumni volunteers throughout the campaign
3.7K+
events hosted by alumni
engagement office
20.5%
alumni meaningfully
engaged
Building Orange Community
in Other Cities
Years before the Forever Orange Campaign launched publicly, the leadership volunteers of Syracuse University’s Regional Councils were diligently helping identify and engage key alumni, partners and friends who could, through their philanthropy and involvement, advance the University’s mission. Throughout the campaign and today, Regional Council members provide leadership in fundraising locally, with active Councils in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
These well-informed ambassadors engage in a variety of activities to strengthen Orange connections in their regions. Members host and organize events for smaller groups of alumni and parents around specific academic areas and topics of interest. Through this engagement, Councils help the University continue to grow its network of major donors and those in The Hill Society, Syracuse’s leadership annual giving recognition society. Members also support the student experience, participating in immersion programs, creating career networking and internship/job opportunities for students and young alumni, and promoting the University’s presence in the region for student recruitment efforts.
Read about Council impact and key leaders
The Los Angeles Regional Council hosted lunch with the Syracuse football team in the spring of 2024.
160+
events hosted by
Regional Councils
3.4K+
donors and prospects
engaged at events
Alumni and donors gathered at a Chicago Bulls game, hosted by Chicago Regional Council member Adrienne Scherenzel-Curry ’98.
Professor Willie Reddic G’12, G’13 believes that for students to be successful in the industry, they must experience real-world training in the classroom.
Creating Successful Futures through Experiential Learning
In a data analytics and decision-making class in Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, accounting professor Willie Reddic G’12, G’13 guides his students through a semester-long project using real consumer data to find patterns and suggest solutions to problems. For the past three years, Reddic has collaborated with two Syracuse alumni who work at Reebok for this project. The company shares datasets with the students, who analyze trends with the potential for their findings to be implemented into Reebok’s business plan.
Graduate student Patrick Sullivan ’23, G’24 presenting his data analysis to fellow classmates and the Reebok team. Sullivan had already secured a postgraduation job at Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
It was at the 2021 Coming Back Together reunion that Reddic met Jasmine Bellamy ’92, vice president of merchandising, planning and allocation at Reebok, as well as leader of Reebok Community and Culture. Reddic shared his vision, Bellamy offered up the datasets, and three months later, Bellamy was back on campus consulting with Reddic’s students on their final projects.
“It’s not theoretical—the students will be able to share an engaging story with future employers of a real problem they solved, and that will put them ahead of the curve,” Bellamy says.
Bryden Goings ’19, Reebok’s planning manager, has also been part of the partnership. At the beginning of the semester, the Reebok team does a subject matter expert panel that allows students to ask questions in preparation. With the students’ final presentations, he and Bellamy look for insights to take back into the business, whether it’s stores to focus on, pricing models to try or how to better advertise on social media.
The students were polished, Goings says. “It felt like I was in an actual boardroom listening to consultants.”
Read about the Reebok partnership
Jasmine Bellamy ’92 has returned to the University for the past three years of her collaboration with Reddic, as well as for the triennial Coming Back Together reunion.
Marino (center) with Professor Emeritus of Advertising James Tsao and his last class of graduate students. Marino has maintained a close relationship with Tsao, who chaired the advertising department for 17 years before retiring in 2023.
Paying It Forward
Chris Marino ’13 learned a lot from his time at Syracuse University, including the value of community. Such inclusion wasn’t limited to the classroom; it spilled over into his personal and professional life. “Thanks to Syracuse, I have a group of friends that I couldn’t imagine going through life without,” says Google’s newest head of agency.
In addition to helping Google customers grow their businesses, Marino returns to campus for alumni engagement and student support. He’s especially proud of his involvement with the Young Whitman Advisory Council (YWAC) and Newhouse Emerging Leaders (NEL) Alumni Volunteer Board. These kinds of organizations, Marino explains, let him pay it forward through philanthropic contributions, time and resources.
“YWAC and NEL are committed to alumni volunteerism and philanthropy,” says the former double major in management and marketing management. “They focus on creating a better experience for students.”
Read about Marino’s involvementMeaningful Connections
Every Syracuse alumni story, while different, points back to people who influenced and guided them during pivotal times of their student years. Students are encouraged to network with alumni, but they may lack the experience and mechanism to do so. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s alumni community is renowned for supporting students, but sometimes it’s difficult to make a connection.
The Alumni Connection Program through the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs demystifies the intimidating transition for students and sparks alumni engagement in mentoring. More than 1,000 meetings took place within the first three years of the program, which launched in 2020 and became a resounding success.
For students, it’s a golden opportunity to glean real-world insights from accomplished graduates. Simultaneously, alumni mentors find satisfaction from giving back to their alma mater, actively shaping the next generation of professionals and providing valuable guidance for success at the University, in their respective industries and in life.
Read about the connection program