Global TC Day, our biennial celebration of TC communities around the globe, is a wonderful reminder that no matter where our graduates live and work, they will always be a part of Teachers College. This year, with the help of 27 alumni volunteers, we hosted 21 Global TC Day events in 12 domestic and 11 international cities. Celebrations ranged from dinners to museum tours to baseball games - as you will see in our Facebook photo album, each event was full of TC spirit. Relive the best of Global TC Day with us, as we take a trip around the world...
Few things pair better than friends and food, and many of this year’s Global TC Day events centered around meals. In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, International Alumni Network representative Laura V. Sánchez-Vincitore (Ph.D. ’14) shared dinner with alumni and students at Nipau, a Latin-Mediterranean restaurant. Nicole Concepcion (M.A. '09) generously sponsored a dinner for alumni at the Manila House in the Philippines. Former visiting scholar Yanan Wang shared his TC memories with current student Xinyue Lu over a meal in Nanjing, China. Vice Provost for Student Affairs Tom Rock (Ed.D. '02) connected with alumni in his hometown of Rochester, New York during dinner at Horizons Restaurant.
The dedicated members of the TCCU Alumni Association of Korea held a reception at Hanyang University in Seoul. There, newly admitted students had a chance to connect with current students and alumni. Likewise, the newest additions to the TC community chatted with alumni in São Paulo, Brazil where Paola Ricci (M.A. ’19) hosted a dinner at her home. Alumni in Thailand shared updates on their lives over a dinner hosted by Chaiwat Kaewphanngam (M.Ed. ‘11) and Porntip Kanjananiyot (M.Ed. ‘81) at the Sukosol Bangkok Hotel. In Los Angeles, volunteers organized not one but two Global TC Day events. Rodolfo Estrada (M.A. ’07) and Gabriela Simon-Cereijido (M.S. '00) welcomed guests to happy hour in Downtown L.A. at The District Bar at the Bloc. A few days later, Rodolfo, Fanshen Cox (M.A. ’97) and Sylvia Roldan (M.A. ’06) led an alumni and student hike to the Griffith Park Observatory. Upon reaching their destination, the hikers relaxed over a picnic lunch with views of the Santa Monica Mountains.
TC alumni are lifelong learners, so it is no surprise that many of them chose to attend Global TC Day speaker events and museum tours. In Taiwan, Patrick Ko (M.A. ’10) presented “The Leader in ME” at a networking event hosted by June Chen (Ed.D. ’99) with help from Chieh-Yen Chen (M.S. ‘01) and Tai Tsao (M.A. ‘14). Special thanks to Tian Ming Sheu (Ed.D. ’93) for sponsoring this event at the National Academy for Education Research (Taipei Branch). Jackie Simmons (Ed.D. '09), TC faculty member and visiting lecturer at the National Institute of Education in Singapore (NIE), shared career insights with alumni in Singapore at a gathering hosted by Wendy Goh (Ph.D. ’08). In Tokyo, Aiko Minematsu (M.A. '13) and Asako Noda of TCKids (Third Culture Kids) Japan, along with the TCCU Japan Alumni Association officers, hosted a Human Library, a workshop centered around creating conversations that aim to challenge and defy stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. A selection of guests at this event volunteered to be “books" in the Human Library, sharing their personal stories of stereotypes they have faced in Japan.
Carolina Quijano (M.A. ’10) led alumni and friends in a tour and tasting at Exquisito Chocolates, Miami’s first chocolate factory, which Carolina founded and owns. In San Francisco, Julia Gelormino (M.A. ’12) and Johanna Brody (M.A. ’11) organized a tour of the Exploratorium, a public learning laboratory that explores the world through science, art and human perception. At "Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow," an exhibit at the Clark Art Institute in the Berkshires, alumni and friends learned about the tense rivalry between sisters - and TC alumnae - Ida and Georgia O’Keeffe. President Thomas Bailey and Professor Judy Burton also attended. During a group brunch, Professor Burton shared insights into Ida and Georgia’s time at TC and how the College influenced Ida’s most well-received lighthouse series.
Lianna Gomori-Ruben (M.A. ’12), Zeke Lyons (M.A. ’12), Jane Neapolitan (Ed.D. ’94) and Shanza Qureshi (M.A. ’17) invited fellow alumni to The Lawn at the National Building Museum in D.C., an immersive installation featuring a vast, sloping green space and quintessential summer activities. In Westchester, New York, alumni and friends delved into history at the Horace Greeley House during an event hosted by Kim McCrea (M.A. '97). Lisa Fenn (M.A. ’95) organized a tour of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for alumni in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin Jian (M.A. ‘15) welcomed guests for a tour of the Western International School of Shanghai. The event also included an alumni panel discussion featuring Summer Xia (M.E. '15), Founder of the Shanghai Huimin Psychological Counseling Studio, and Joyce Zhang (M.A. '15), Founder of the Shanghai YuGe Cultural Media Company.
Baseball was on deck for two of our events in the Northeast. Debra Wein (M.S. ’93) hosted a private tour of Fenway Park for alumni in Boston. Vice President of Development and External Affairs Suzanne Murphy (M.Ed. '99) also joined the fun. Afterwards, guests had a chance to network at nearby restaurant Yard House. In New York, over 160 alumni, students and friends watched the Yankees take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. All attendees received an exclusive Yankees-TC co-branded hat.
Thank you, once again, to all those who helped make each event a success! Until Global TC Day 2021, remember, you can connect with fellow alumni at events throughout the year and on TConnect: An Alumni Network.