LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
GOOD TIMES , BAD TIMES
AS UC SAN DIEGO ’ S CHIEF ALUMNI OFFICER , it is my role to remind you of the impact the university made in your life and encourage you to stay connected with your alma mater . I consider this a privilege and a pleasure , as I often get to reminisce with fellow Tritons who will talk at length about the good times they had and how fondly they recall their college experience .
Except when they won ’ t . Because , sometimes , they don ’ t .
Steph Barry , ERC ’ 94 Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief Alumni Officer UC San Diego Alumni & Community Engagement
I had the chance to talk with Vivienne Ming , Muir ’ 00 , just before Triton arranged the photo shoot above . As you ' ll read on p . 40 , her first years on campus were some of the darkest in her life . She spoke of depression so severe she basically moved into a closet in her apartment . Fortunately her story turned around , and she would thrive on campus and in life . But it was clear that she remembered her time at UC San Diego with an ambivalence that is hard to hide .
She is not alone . College is not easy , and it can come at a very difficult time in one ’ s life . Yet many times when I meet alumni who say their experience wasn ’ t ideal , it ’ s those very same people who now get involved and connect with our current students — to make it easier for them , to give advice or guidance , professional mentoring or personal support . They want to help others have the experience they would have wanted for themselves .
Call it healing . Call it giving back . I like to think of it as being part of a community . And if a story like this speaks to you or your university experience , I ’ d like to invite you to be a part of this community with us .
This fall , Vivienne will return to campus to be our convocation speaker — launching our incoming class onto their UC San Diego education . Just think of what might have resulted had she , as a student , heard from someone like her current self . Consider what you would have wanted to hear back then as well . Because rest assured , there is a student who needs to hear the same thing from you .
With Triton pride ,
Steph Barry , ERC ’ 94 Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief Alumni Officer UC San Diego Alumni & Community Engagement
6 TRITON | FALL 2016