Gabriel Prepetit ’22 hasn’t even started his senior year at Syracuse University yet but he’s already confident about what one of the highpoints will be: the Coming Back Together (CBT) reunion.
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to meet so many alumni, to interact with them in an unstructured way, and to soak up whatever advice they have to offer,” he says.
As an Our Time Has Come (OTHC) Scholar, Prepetit has met alumni through OTHC leadership and mentorship activities. “I’ve always loved to hear about their experiences. Seeing people who come from a similar background as us who went to Syracuse and are now so successful, it really helps push you to know that someone’s been in your shoes before. CBT is going to bring that to a new level.”
Prepetit, from Northborough, Mass., is one of the student co-chairs for CBT 2021, and his partner, Cameron Joy Gray ’22, is equally excited. “I hope alumni understand just how meaningful it is for students when they come back and engage with us,” says the OTHC Scholar from Washington, D.C. “It’s like a bridge to history.”
Gray believes the timing of this reunion will make the experience even more powerful. “This has been such a time of dissonance for Black and Latinx people. We’ve experienced such loss, between the pandemic, instances of police brutality, it’s all been a lot. So, to be able to actually come together as a community, talk about issues and our feelings, have fellowship with those who’ve come before us, it’s going to be awesome.”
Gray is most excited for the “A Different World” reunion panel and open house event for 119 Euclid. “This is a monumental part of our history that will be here forever,” she says. “I hope alumni will be as thrilled with the space as students are and inspired to take advantage of naming opportunities still available.”
Prepetit is looking forward to gaining career and personal advice at the various workshops and to sharing alumni experiences with friends who are not part of the OTHC program. “It will be great for students to meet all these brown and Black people who went to Syracuse and hear about their experiences and how they dealt with adversity,” he says.” I think it’s really important.”