Each May, thousands of students cross the Lawn for Final Exercises and leave the University as graduates. But for many, their relationship with the University continues through a network of alumni programs, regional events, career resources, reunions and volunteer opportunities coordinated by the U.Va. Alumni Association.
The Alumni Association is an independent, alumni-led organization separate from the University that works to connect students, graduates and alumni to one another and to the University. According to its 2025 Impact Report, the Alumni Association serves a network of more than 269,000 living alumni and supports programming that spans young alumni engagement, scholarships, career resources and Alumni Interest Groups.
Lily West, president and chief executive officer of the U.Va. Alumni Association, said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily that the Alumni Association views students as future alumni, rather than waiting until after graduation to build the relationships between students and members of the Alumni Association.
“The journey to becoming [an] alum doesn't actually start when you graduate,” West said. “It starts when you get to Grounds.”
Mary Elizabeth Luzar, senior director of student engagement at the U.Va. Alumni Association, said the Alumni Association works to make students feel familiar with the alumni community before they graduate. The Alumni Association advises Class Councils and the Fourth-Year Trustees, hosts student events and begins communicating with new graduates shortly after Final Exercises.
Luzar said over the summer immediately following a student’s graduation, the Alumni Association sends a series of emails introducing recent graduates to alumni resources. She said Young Alumni Reunions, which are held in the fall, are often one of the first major alumni events recent graduates are invited to attend.
The next Young Alumni Reunion is set to be held Oct. 10 at the Ting Pavillion on the Downtown Mall and is open to the undergraduate Classes of 2026, 2025 and 2024 and their guests. According to its 2025 Impact Report, 2,205 tickets were sold to last year's Young Alumni Reunion.
For students who have been involved in class leadership, the transition into alumni life can also include a formal volunteer role. After serving as Fourth-Year Trustees, some student leaders continue as Post-Graduate Trustees, helping maintain class connections and support young alumni programming. The Alumni Association’s impact report states that more than 250 former student leaders serve as Post-Graduate Trustees each year.
Annie Zhao, vice president of Fourth-Year Trustees and fourth-year College student, said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily that many trustees expect to stay connected after graduation through Young Alumni Reunions and continued class involvement. She said Trustees typically remain connected to the Alumni Association after graduation by helping plan the annual Young Alumni Reunions and giving feedback on those events.
Zhao said the Class of 2026 has built a strong sense of connection through class traditions and events, which she expects will carry into alumni life.
“I'm confident that our class will continue to look back on our four years at U.Va. and think, ‘You know, this was a great time,’” Zhao said. “We had a lot of fun.”
Zhao said the alumni network can be valuable socially and professionally. As a Lawn resident, she said alumni frequently pass by her room and offer advice about life after graduation.
“I think we should take advantage of [the fact] that we have a strong network here,” Zhao said. “Whether it's recent grads or alumni from 20 or 30 years ago, it doesn't matter. You can learn from anybody at any time.”
Recent University graduates also said the Alumni Association helped make the alumni network feel more concrete after graduation. Kyle Woodson, Class of 2024 president and Class of 2024 alumnus, said the idea of an alumni network can sometimes feel distant while students are still on Grounds.
“I think for a lot of students the thought of an alumni network can seem kind of nebulous because it always seems a little bit far away, even as a third-year and early on in fourth year,” Woodson said.
Woodson, who became a Post-Graduate Trustee after serving as class council president all four years of his time at the University, said attending Young Alumni Reunions in 2024 was one of his first major alumni experiences. He said the event allowed him to reconnect with friends who had moved away from Charlottesville.
“YAR 2024 was super fun and it was a great opportunity to see a ton of my friends,” Woodson said. “So it's a great time to catch up with folks that I wouldn't otherwise have seen because they moved away from Charlottesville.”
Woodson recommended all upcoming graduates update their mailing addresses on the website in order to get communication from the Alumni Association and to join an alumni club in their new city or region as part of the U.Va. Clubs Global Network.
Chloe Lyda, Class of 2022 president and Class of 2022 alumna, said her first interaction with the Alumni Association came during her first few weeks at the University, when she attended a Class Council interest meeting at Alumni Hall.
Lyda said early introduction to members of the Alumni Association shaped her view of it as an organization connected to student life, not just post-graduate life.
“I feel like a lot of other universities and colleges, you only start hearing from the alumni network a month [before or] after you graduate,” Lyda said. “But they immediately start putting on events in the first few weeks of your first year and it doesn't stop.”
After graduating, Lyda became involved in Post-Graduate Trustees, helping plan YARs and giving feedback on what kinds of events recent graduates wanted. She said involvement helped her stay connected with classmates she might not otherwise see.
“I wouldn't otherwise see them if [becoming a Post-Graduate Trustee] didn't happen,” Lyda said. “It keeps me connected [to] what everybody's doing.”
Beyond reunions and class-based programming, West said the Alumni Association also focuses on career support for graduates. She said the Alumni Association works with the U.Va. Career Center to help students transition into alumni career resources, including one-on-one advising, networking groups, mentorship and speaker events.
The Alumni Association’s 2025 Impact Report states that more than 9,000 alumni were affiliated with at least one Alumni Professional Network in fiscal year 2025, while about 500 alumni were served through career advising sessions.
West said these resources are designed to support alumni beyond their first few months after graduation.
“We want to be thoughtful about how they transition into some of our support services, which will extend for decades beyond when they graduate,” West said.
The Alumni Association also maintains contact with graduates through Virginia Magazine, which alumni begin receiving after graduation through print editions sent to their mailing addresses. Luzar said the Alumni Association encourages graduates to update their addresses partly so they can receive the magazine, which covers University news and alumni stories.
The Alumni Association’s impact report also states that more than 191,000 alumni, parents and friends receive the quarterly print edition of Virginia Magazine.
Another aspect of alumni engagement includes giving, though Alumni Association leaders said they frame giving to recent graduates as participation rather than financial obligation. Luzar said Fourth-Year Trustees work with the Alumni Association and the University on the “Hoos Giving Back” campaign, which encourages members of the graduating class to make a gift at any level comfortable to them.
“The real spirit behind that is for every member of the graduating class to have the opportunity to give at whatever level is meaningful to them,” Luzar said.
West said recent graduates should not feel pressured to give large amounts, adding that the act of giving is more powerful than the dollar amount.
“This is about staying connected and participating in that act of giving back,” West said. “Don't worry about the number. We're grateful for anything and it can be directed anywhere. It's just another way to stay connected to the institution and the more you do it, the more it will become a part of the habit that you get into, which again builds a lifetime of a relationship with the Alumni Association and with the University at large.”
The Alumni Association also administers scholarships and endowments. According to its impact report, the Alumni Association administered more than 250 unique scholarships to students on Grounds to cover anything from tuition to full room and board. The report states that these scholarships in fiscal year 2025 totaled to $3.2 million to more than 500 student recipients.
For recent graduates, West said staying connected can take many forms — attending events, reading alumni communications, joining regional groups, seeking career advice or even reaching out to alumni for mentorship.
“Hearing from a student or a recent graduate is often the best part of an alum’s day,” West said. “If you are concerned that you're going to bother someone or you might be taking up too much time, let me tell you right now that you are probably one of the best things that is happening to that alum that day. So don't hesitate. Reach out. And you never know where it's going to take you.”
Luzar left a final note that graduates should see the alumni network as a community ready to support them after they leave Grounds.
“For all recent graduates … there really is this huge, huge network of alumni who are ready to bring you into the fold and to support you,” Luzar said. “We just have something really, really special in our alumni network.”
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