Alumni support helps with path to healing

Supporting students near and far  

Many alumni based in the Ocean State jumped into action immediately.

“We felt a strong obligation as the local alumni club to do all we could,” said Tom Kostka ’78, president of the Brown Club of Rhode Island, whose members contributed aid through the Undergraduate Council of Students and helped to provide shelter to students, among other things.   

Pastors Joshua and Holly Smith ’13, who live near Wayland Square, extended a helping hand in a number of ways. Together with Iliana Escobar ’13 PhD’21 and others, the Smiths offered rides to over 40 students who were traveling to the airport, train station, and other locations. Working alongside a church in Pawtucket, RI, they also helped to transport food to victims, their families, and hospital staff. Students from Highlander Charter School in Warren, RI, where Joshua teaches, made “get well soon” cards for victims.

“We didn’t know what else we could do in that critical moment but wanted to love on the Brown community however we could,” said Smith. “We were grateful to have an opportunity to serve the community that we love so much in this critical time.” 

 In the days and weeks that followed, alumni—including members of Brown’s medical alumni community—organized informal gatherings off campus and inside their homes to provide a measure of solace to students. These generous acts were especially comforting for students like Noman Ibrahimi ’29, who planned to stay on campus during winter break. 

“After the incident, I was anxious about staying and could not anticipate how life on campus would be,” said Ibrahimi. “Some of my friends who initially planned to remain on campus over the break changed their mind and traveled home.”

Through a Global Brown Center program that matches international students with alumni, faculty, and staff during winter break, Ibrahimi made meaningful connections with other members of the Brown community at a moment when he needed it most. 

“In the aftermath of the incident, spending time with alums, I reckoned, would not only help me build relationships and broaden my perspective, but also process the tragedy through conversation,” said Ibrahimi, who attended several gatherings, including one in Mansfield, MA, hosted by Langway. “Fortunately, my expectations were met, and, thanks to the gatherings I had with alums, staff, friends, and hospitable Providence families, the winter break turned out to be much better than what I anticipated.” 

The Brown Club of Chicago convened four gatherings with students and their families, creating spaces for reflection. Cliff Saper ’72, a psychologist by training, brought his professional experience and his love for Brown together to support local students, offering one-on-one conversations to help them as they processed the tragedy away from campus.

“We have a very engaged and tight-knit alumni community in Chicago and these gatherings have helped all of us begin to deal with this tragedy,” said Giovanna Cavallo ’94.

Having grown up in Sandy Hook, CT, the site of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Nisha Bansal ’99, a Washington-based physician, felt she understood some of the complex emotions many Brown students returning home to Seattle might have been grappling with. She reminded them that they were not alone.

“Each individual processes tragedies differently and it is crucial to create a safe space that normalizes these feelings,” said Bansal, who organized a small gathering in a private room at a local library. “I was really impressed by the students' honesty, vulnerability, and maturity. It was really nice to see them connect and support each other. They share an experience that no one can understand.”

In addition to acts and words of care and kindness, some Brunonians expressed a desire to contribute in other ways. For those who did, some made donations to the Student Emergency Support Fund, which helps to meet the financial needs of students impacted by unforeseen challenges such as the December tragedy, and to the Ever True Support Fund, which help meet the financial and emotional needs of the community while also assisting Brown’s community recovery efforts.

Holding space for each other

Elsewhere, alumni connected with each other both on and offline. The Brown Clubs of Silicon Valley and New York hosted vigils to stand in solidarity with Brown and honor the lives of students Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov. 

A virtual gathering sponsored by the Brown Alumni Association brought together alumni from around the world. It included reflections from Rev. Janet M. Cooper Nelson, who shepherded the Brown community through moments of joy, uncertainty, and loss for over 30 years as the former University chaplain and director of the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life.

“Having the opportunity to gather virtually with Rev. Cooper Nelson, and later to bring students together locally, allowed me to draw upon the collective strength of the Brown alumni community,” said Harry W. Holt, Jr. '84, P'16, president of the Brown Alumni Association. “In those moments, connection became more than conversation—it became a shared source of inspiration, grounding, and purpose.” 

As Rev. Cooper Nelson looks back on the weeks following the tragic events, one thing was evident. 

“The beloved Brunonian descriptor ‘ever true’ has never been more radiant than in this time of shock and grief,” said Rev. Cooper Nelson, who was moved by the outpouring of “love, concern, reassurance, expertise, and depth” from Brown’s global community of alumni, parents, and friends. “Their hearts and voices joined those on campus to create melodies of solace and sacred hope. Together this music comforts the reveries of our hearts.”

On February 7, alumni volunteers in several communities around the world organized more than a dozen satellite gatherings where alumni came together to view the University Memorial Service for Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov. These gatherings provided another opportunity for a shared moment of remembrance, healing, and care.

The Office of Alumni Relations plans to create more opportunities for alumni and students to come together to weave even tighter connections that will support the well-being of the entire community.

At the start of the new year, the University launched Brown Ever True, a campus-wide roadmap to healing and recovery. In her letter announcing the initiative, Brown President Christina H. Paxson expressed gratitude to alumni for expanding Brown’s community of support.

“Our extended Brown family of alumni and parents and families will play an essential role in our path toward healing,” she said.