MOSAIC Newsletter: Summer 2025
Welcome!
Summer on campus has given us some time to look back on an eventful spring and look forward to the next academic year. From events in major cities to Reunion on campus, the past few months have offered many opportunities to build the MOSAIC community.
Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society (BMBAS), from Washington to Lewiston
The Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society (BMBAS) was on the road this spring! In April, BMBAS held its annual awards luncheon, which featured honorees Chantal Berry Dalton ’69 and Constance Berry Newman ’56, LL.D. ’72. The event celebrated their significant experience and contributions in public service at some of the highest levels of office.
Moving up the coast, the BMBAS Boston Social visited Park 54 in Hyde Park. Alumni from over five decades reminisced with long-time friends and made new connections.
Finally, BMBAS recognized senior Alexandra “ARose” Long ’25 on campus as she received the Frederick Drayton Outstanding Senior Award. The award recognizes a senior for their academic achievement, exceptional leadership prowess, positive servant leadership, and demonstrated commitment to fortifying the connection between current students and alumni. Congrats, ARose!
You can find more about BMBAS on their website and LinkedIn group.
Reunion Recap
Reunion this past June welcomed the largest crowd of alumni ever! From the alumni parade to the fireworks, there were a variety of classic Reunion festivities. MOSAIC alumni gathered in the new space of the Student Center for Belonging and Community (SCBC) to hear remarks from President Jenkins and connect across class years.
In addition to the MOSAIC Reception, another new program highlight was the “Queer Through The Years” Panel, featuring Dee Grayton ‘75, Mike Hogan ‘85, Larry Handerhan ‘05, Benny VanDerburgh ‘15, and Anthony Del Real, Assistant Director of LGBTQ+ Programs. The alumni recounted the stories from their time as students and highlighted the progression of LGBTQ+ life at Bates, with staff member Anthony Del Real sharing current campus updates. View the Reunion Photo Gallery to see more of the weekend’s festivities!
Staff and Program Spotlight – First-Generation Programs
The Student Center for Belonging and Community welcomed the new Director of First Generation Programs, Misael “Misa” Beltran-Guzman. Misa joined Bates in March, having previously held a similar position at Colby College. Misa himself is a first-generation-to-college graduate and is deeply passionate about supporting and empowering this population of students. Apart from his role as Director, Misa is also enrolled in a part-time Master’s program in Educational Leadership through the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
As a new joint project, Misa and Danny launched a First-Generation letter-writing project. First-Gen alumni shared wisdom from their time at and after Bates with First-Gen first-year students who just completed their year at Bates. The letters contain impactful stories of joining campus communities, overcoming challenges in and outside of the classroom, finding purpose, and more.
NESCAC Pride Out and Proudly
In partnership with our NESCAC peers, we held Pride celebrations in Boston, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. These events brought together LGBTQ+ alumni from different schools in recognition of the strength of the NESCAC network.
Thank you to all those who joined us! We’re already looking forward to next year. Did we miss your city? Let us know!
Student Group Spotlight: Raices Unidas, Then and Now
“Then” (Ismael E. Carreras ’90):
“I don’t think many people really know the story of how Raíces Unidas actually got started, which is why I wanted to share it now. It’s one of those origin stories that gets lost to time.
When I think about it, the seeds were planted way before that pivotal moment in spring of 1990. I’d spent my years at Bates watching other groups like the Afro-American Society and the International Student organizations really thrive, and I kept wondering – where’s our space? Where do Hispanic students come together? But the reality was, we were such a small group back then. I’m talking maybe a dozen of us students on the entire campus in the late ’80s. It could definitely feel isolating.
It was during Short Term of my senior year – May 1990 – when I decided just to go for it. I remember going to meet with Dean Reese, who was an institution even back then, to talk through my idea. He supported it wholeheartedly and said something that really stuck with me: “I was wondering when you guys would get organized!” But he understood that these things have to grow organically to have any real staying power. Community has to emerge naturally; you can’t force it.
So I put up this simple flyer on the ramp leading into Old Commons in Chase Hall. That’s where all the students posted everything back then – you couldn’t miss it on your way to meals. Just a basic call for Hispanic students to meet up at Frye Street Union on a Sunday afternoon.
I remember being nervous about it, wondering if anyone would show. My girlfriend Andrea – who’s been my wife for thirty years now – she wasn’t Latina herself, but she was very supportive. She helped me make the tostones that we were going to serve to the group, and honestly, her being there meant a lot.
The turnout was small – less than half a dozen people, including Andrea and me – but the energy was great. That’s when I first met Ambrosio Rodríguez ’93 (Gainesville, FL), Natalie Sánchez ’92 (Los Angeles, CA), and Josarie Molina ’93 (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). We spent a couple of hours just talking, sharing our experiences, and no longer feeling alone in this journey. Despite the small numbers, I walked away feeling so energized and validated.
The great thing was, because I ended up working in the Admissions Office the following year, I got to be there for the real launch. That fall, we had our first official gathering, and the turnout was amazing – at least a couple of dozen students. Professor Francisca “Paqui” López graciously agreed to be our faculty advisor, which was huge for legitimizing what we were trying to build.
Looking back, that little meeting with tostones and a handful of students really planted the seeds for something that I’m so pleased to see continuing to endure and support our Latino student community.”
“Now” (Angelica Paniagua ’28 and Sherlin Perez Gonzalez ’27)
On The Horizon: Back to Bates
Mark your calendars for October 3rd and 4th! We’ll be welcoming alumni and families for a fantastic fall weekend on campus. We’ll have a MOSAIC networking event and a special birthday celebration for Dean James Reese.
Be on the lookout for when registration opens!