Alumni Network Gives Back

SHECP Launches Alumni Engagement Committee to give alumni the chance to support future interns and programming

During her 2026 Welcome Address, Dr. Jill Waity told incoming students that “It is not an exaggeration to say that taking that course (POV101 at Washington and Lee) and being involved in the Shepherd Program changed my career trajectory.”

Later in the summer, students heard SHECP alumnus David Marchese explain, "This internship and this alumni network you are about to join shaped my life, now, for the better part of the last nine years. But even better, if done right, it’ll impart with you the wisdom to go forward and help the least of these with a humble heart." Over the past 28 years, SHECP (and previously the Shepherd Alliance) has supported thousands of summer interns, and many of these past interns have expressed similar sentiments. As these students graduate, continue on to graduate school or start careers, and ultimately join the ranks of those working to diminish poverty and enhance human capability through professional and civic efforts, their SHECP experiences stay with them.

Alumni continue to seek ways to stay engaged with and support current SHECP interns! As more alumni voiced a longing to connect with current students, SHECP created the Alumni Engagement Committee (AEC). Led by co-chairs David Marchese (Baylor, 2019) and Mary Wilson Grist (W&L, 2021), the AEC offers alumni the chance to contribute to the longevity and vitality of SHECP and the internship program. The committee officially launched in September of 2025, with alumni across multiple decades coming together to consider how to support current students in this program.

Whether 20 years or 2 months out from their internships, alumni were eager to think about how to offer real, robust opportunities for networking and mentorship to this year’s intern class. This summer, the AEC hosted two virtual events for interns this summer: a panel of young alumni offering advice during the Internship Academy, and a virtual networking hour for alumni and interns to connect more deeply later in June. Alumni participation was not limited to virtual events; as in summers past, SHECP alumni and friends hosted interns for dinners, tours of their cities, and ice cream socials.

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The AEC is designed to be an open committee, meaning alumni can join and attend as they can. Attendees of the first meeting represented 4 schools from across the consortium, spanning 17 years and hailing from a wide variety of careers. Additional alumni jumped on board for subsequent meetings during the first year, adding more valuable insight to the committee’s inaugural work. Beyond this summer, the Alumni Engagement Committee is excited to continue exploring how to facilitate meaningful connections between alumni and current students.

To learn more about the Alumni Engagement Committee, including how to get involved, please reach out to Abby Gilbert at internshipdirector@shepherdconsortium.org.