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Young Alumni Mentors Shadow Current Students for a Day
On March 24, members of Loyola Academy's Leadership Development and Mentor Program arrived on campus to shadow their current student mentees. The day provided a rare chance for alumni to relive the experience of a Rambler and reconnect with former teachers while getting to know their current student mentees better.
For the first time in years, alumni sat in desks, raised their hands, ate in the cafeteria and navigated the busy hallways on their way to classes.Steven Tazalla '04, a portfolio analyst with Principal Real Estate Investors in Chicago, attended Chinese, Ethics, Film Studies and AP Chemistry with his mentees.
“The spirit and dedication of the faculty and students at Loyola has stayed the same,” Tazalla reflects. “Everyone was dialed in and focused on what matters. I didn’t hear a word about social media or a Netflix series. The conversations were about academics, college applications, family, cocurriculars and summer service trips. That’s a beautiful thing.”
By chance, Tazalla was able to revisit the classroom of Mr. Timothy P. Kane ’86, who taught Tazalla British Literature and coached him in golf.
“Catching up with Mr. Kane was great,” he says. “I first met Mr. Kane the summer before freshman year. I was trying to make the 12-man roster and he was teaching, coaching and raising a young family. He quickly took me under his wing and imparted more wisdom on me than I knew what to do with. Knowing all of the students he’s impacted and the successes those students have found after graduation, I feel both grateful and reassured—grateful to have known a mentor who is so dedicated to his students’ success and reassured knowing future classes of Ramblers are in good hands.”
Over the course of the day, alumni noted elements of Loyola that felt familiar—powerful Theology classes, the standard LoyolaWear polos and the coveted hot cookies in the cafe. But many changes were evident, as well. Campus Ministry and the Science and Counseling Departments have been relocated, a ninth period class has been added to the schedule and, of course, iPads are now an integral part of a student’s day.
Tazalla noted the increased use of technology in the classroom from his days as a student. “The most obvious change is technology,” he says. “I was impressed by the transition to the digital classroom. Gone are the days of textbooks and chalkboards. Today’s classroom is fully integrated—audiovisuals, pop quizzes on iPads, homework and lecture notes in iTunes U and illustrations in real time on AppleTV.”
Both current students and their alumni mentors benefitted from the time spent together. Opening avenues for networking and establishing channels for future communication is another important component of the Mentor Program.
“It’s about paying it forward,” says Tazalla. “The mentor program allows for greater flexibility and still provides an avenue for young alumni to have a meaningful positive impact and be a resource for current students.”
“The students put their best foot forward when showing alumni around, and we love having alumni on campus,” says Alumni Relations Coordinator Ashley Sanks ’10. “Visiting Loyola enables our alumni mentors to stay connected with the school by not only spending time with their student mentees, but by also seeing their former teachers and staff members that helped them become who they are today.”
The alumni shadow day is just one event in an array of programming sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations that works to foster relationships between current students and Loyola alumni. For more information, contact Executive Vice President Dennis R. Stonequist ’90 at 847.920.2443 or dstonequist@loy.org.
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