The power in finding someone who ‘gets’ your experience

New events, spearheaded by student leaders and alumni volunteers, are helping the next generation see their future on College Hill.

Alumni, students, and staff have long partnered to create opportunities where diverse perspectives and lived experiences inform Brown’s future.

Building on this tradition, alumni volunteers and student leaders from the Undergraduate Council of Students' Equity and Inclusion Committee developed expanded programming for admitted students that helped them see, firsthand, the breadth of community and support that exists on campus. These efforts recognize that what draws students and sustains them while here, is not only academic excellence but also the chance to connect around shared stories, challenges, and aspirations. 

Launched in spring 2024, alumni and student leaders collaborated to offer a new dimension of A Day on College Hill (ADOCH). The new “Being at Brown” event series offered during ADOCH invited all prospective students and their families into authentic conversations with current students and alumni, creating new ways for them to explore the richness of life at Brown and how they could find resonance between their own life and their potential next chapter on College Hill.

A panelist speaks at ADOCH 2025 event
A panel of students and alumni spoke to prospective students and their families at a "Being at Brown” event during ADOCH in 2025.

These programs are part of the University’s ongoing commitment to providing an environment that is welcoming to students from all backgrounds. “Being at Brown” reflected a community-driven desire to center the experiences of Black, Latine, and Indigenous students and offered a visible way to extend Brown’s enduring message of welcome. These events created spaces for genuine connection and deep, personal conversations that helped prospective students imagine their own Brown journeys.

“ I had hoped for something like this. A space to learn about how students with life stories like my own, which don’t always feel common at Brown, are thriving here. It was reassuring to see not only the students but their parents feel comfortable, knowing there was a community ready to welcome them with open arms. ”

Allinson Morales ’28

“I had hoped for something like this,” said Allinson Morales ’28, Undergraduate Council of Students’ Equity and Inclusion Committee member. “A space to learn about how students with life stories like my own, which don’t always feel common at Brown, are thriving here. It was reassuring to see not only the students but their parents feel comfortable, knowing there was a community ready to welcome them with open arms.”

Authentic storytelling was at the heart of the program. For student panelist Saul Castillo ’28, speaking about his journey created moments of comfort and laughter. “Even if not everyone in the room grew up with my LA Chicano vernacular, it was clear that this was a space where students didn’t have to hide their identities.” Similarly, panelist Isaiah Mars ’26 emphasized the importance of peer connections, noting that conversations about leadership, resources, and community “reminded me of the power behind what it means for admitted students to connect one-on-one with current students and alumni who ‘get’ their experiences.”

“ Brown hands us the blank canvas, yet it’s through the shared experiences of our community—the questions, stories, and hopes—that each of us finds the brushstrokes and colors to paint our own unique narrative. ”

Isaiah Mars ’26

These conversations illuminated what has always made Brown distinct: a community spirit that thrives on openness, curiosity, and connection across differences. As Mars put it, “Brown hands us the blank canvas, yet it’s through the shared experiences of our community—the questions, stories, and hopes—that each of us finds the brushstrokes and colors to paint our own unique narrative.”

Attendees were able to see that students like them don't just survive at Brown, but flourish.