Archive for December, 2009

by Keith C. Kerber, Assistant Director of Annual Giving

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all throughout Thunderbird,
Not a student could be seen nor a professor be heard. 
To the ends of the earth they all went in a flash,
No hesitation with three weeks sans class. 

Why bother reading for semester ahead?
While visions of faraway lands danced in their heads.
Why should they spend the time studying in the IBIC,
When diverse and wild cultures await their first visit.

Now Tammy, now Matt, now Nilufar and John!
Go Amit, go Tekena, go Hieu and Karan.
To Kilamanjaro, to Machu Picchu, or to the Great Wall,
Dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

Practice those languages and cross-cultural skills,
You’ll put them to use for business and school. 
We’ll see you next semester; we trust you’ll return.
Because without you, there would be no Thunderbird.

But don’t stay here forever because we’d rather you go,
Create prosperity all over the globe.
T-birds are all so amazing, there’s no doubt about that
The world needs more Thunderbirds and I’ll drink to that!

In addition to a drink I’m giving a gift to ensure the world has more Thunderbirds? Will you give a gift today? Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: Mr. Kerber claims no poetic brillance.  He states that the inspiration for this blog had a lot to do with three things: 1) Hearing about the anticipated adventures amongst T-bird students; 2) recently listening to his children read two famous Christmas poems: Clement Clarke Moore’s, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” and Dr. Seuss’, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas;” and 3) too much holiday cheer (aka spiked egg nog).  But mostly, he says, it has to to with the latter.

by Gbemi Disu ‘06, Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving

Joyeuses Fêtes! Felices Fiestas!  Jie Ri Yu Kuai!  Boas Festas!  Tanoshii kurisumasu wo!  Buone Feste!  Hau’oli Lanui!  Ii holide eximnandi!  Forhe Feiertage!  Mutlu Bayramlar!  And of course, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

As I make preparations for my upcoming Singapore and Malaysia trip to spend the holidays with my fellow T-bird alums and friends, I am still filled with travel envy at some of the fantastic holiday locations my other T-birds are jetsetting to this upcoming holidays.  I soon learned that this emotion is a common phenomenon amongst our global community!

In the spirit of friendly competition and vicarious living, we are inviting all alums out there to send us pictures of their holiday vacation from anywhere in the world!  We will be selecting the best of these and highlighting them in a future Alumni E-Newsletter.  We accept pictures of your Thunderspouse, Thunderpet, Thunderbaby and, of course, your Thunderfamily!  Please only send in pictures that are appropriate for a diverse audience and you are comfortable having others see.  Also include a brief description of the location/setting.

As you head out to our respective parts of the world to spend time with family and friends, we here at Thunderbird would like to wish you safe travels and happy holidays!

by Keith C. Kerber, Assistant Director of Annual Giving

The end of my freshman year was coming to a close and so were my dreams to be the first in my family to attend college.  I had already incurred debt of $5,000 in order to attend a private college and just didn’t see how I could afford another year.

A discouraging visit with the Financial Aid officer added to the stress of final exams.  However, a few days later, I returned to her office and she asked if a $3000 grant would allow me to manage the following year.

“Could I ever!” I thought.   She then told me about an alumnus who wanted to give that amount of money to someone exactly in my position: first in family to attend college, working to support himself, involved in the school community, and decent grades, of course.
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by Gbemi Disu ‘06, Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving

One would imagine that by now I would be used to the blistering cold winter temperatures of the midwest.  Afterall I lived there for a few years after graduating from Thunderbird.

However, as I nearly get blown into Lake Michigan by the howling wind, I am quickly reminded of why this African (me) moved back west to sunshine AZ!

The only thing that warms my now frozen bones is the warm reception I have received from my favorite group of people in the world – Tbirds!  On this trip, I have connected with alumni from all decades and the ideals that make up the core of our mystique is still present.

I continue to remain a proud alumni and hope you do too.  Here is a toast to our alma mater and receiving warm receptions anywhere in the world!