Come as Stangers, Leave as Friends

October 26 - 28, 2007

One alma mater, one table, twelve strangers. Across Chicagoland, throughout the weekend of October 26-28, Northwestern alumni, students, faculty and administrators gathered together to dine, celebrate and share their experiences from Northwestern University. The program sponsored by the Northwestern Alumni Association and the Northwestern Class Alliance, is called Dinner with 12 Strangers.

Dinners were hosted at the homes of Northwestern Alumni and at local restaurants. Students, faculty and alumni raved about the dinners. Student participant Kyla Robinson, WCAS10, shared with us a highlight from the event, “I attended a dinner at the home of two Northwestern alumni. Not only was the home-cooked meal delicious, but the stories the alumni hosts shared were fantastic. Our alumni hosts met at Northwestern and then married soon after!”  Topics at the dinners ranged from the Wildcat football to career advice. The students, faculty and alumni each had unique perspectives to bring to the table.

This year’s program brought together over 175 students from different schools, class years and backgrounds, 51 alumni hosts and 38 faculty and administrators attended 21 dinners over the course of the weekend.  Student registration for the dinners began during New Student Week and filled in less than a week, speaking to the success of the program.

For the first time, this program extended overseas to London through a partnership between the NAA and the Study Abroad Office.  Local alumni hosted Northwestern students studying abroad this fall, for their own version of Dinner With 12 Strangers.  Minh Thai, WCAS09, participated in the London program and said, “…it was absolutely wonderful being able to have substantive conversation and delicious food with fellow Northwesterners.  Our hosts were terrifically kind and helpful, and I was surprised to learn of how many interesting undergrads I have yet to meet from Northwestern.”

Dinner With 12 Strangers began at Northwestern in the fall of 2005 and is based on the premise that 12 people come together as strangers and leave the dinner table as friends. This fall, strangers with a connection to Northwestern became fast friends.

For more information on this program, please contact students@alumni.northwestern.edu.