On September 14 and 15, hundreds of Covenant alumni returned to the mountain to celebrate Homecoming 2018. The weekend kicked off with chapel on Friday led by Chaplain Grant Lowe, and culminated in a fireworks show on Saturday night at Scotland Yard. Events scheduled in between included Jazz on the Overlook, soccer games, residence hall visits, and more.
Alumni and their families were invited to interact with current students, hear professors present their current research, and see what has changed (or remained the same) on campus. The weekend also allowed for reconnection with old friends, a strong motivator for many alumni who attend.
To get a closer perspective on what it’s like to return to Covenant as an alum, Stephen Bankson (‘17) offers his experience at Covenant College Homecoming.
Bankson, a Physics major who lived on Catacombs during his four years at Covenant, attended Homecoming because it reminded him of his time here, and allowed him to relive some of his fond memories as a student. He also appreciated the time it gave him to see “old friends who I wouldn't be able to see otherwise.”
Moreover, he was interested in “just coming back to campus to see it.” He says that it’s also fun for him to return to his old hall, “to see that it's still as crazy as ever and meet the current residents.”
Though he often attended Jazz on the Overlook and the Homecoming soccer games during his undergrad years, Bankson returned this year with a greater appreciation for the closeness of Covenant’s community and the value of his time here.
“Living on the Catacombs was an awesome experience. I lived in a close community of Christian guys who were always down to have fun and hang out, but also have serious discussions about our faith and to be open with one another. Being out of college, it is a lot more difficult to make friends. It just requires a lot more effort, especially compared to the close knit community I experienced on Catacombs,” Bankson said. “I know the same is true for many at Covenant on their respective halls.”
Bankson, along with many alumni like him, looks forward to returning for Homecoming again next year. Covenant remains special for many graduates as a place of community and scholarship that played a foundational and formative role in life after school.
Homecoming also serves a valuable role for students at the college, allowing them to connect with friends who have graduated and to form new relationships with alumni who can offer a valuable perspective on life after Covenant. This reconnection and exchange is an exciting part of each fall semester, and the college looks forward to seeing the extended Covenant community return next year.