SCA Alumni Come Together for Spring Events in NYC, DC, and San Francisco
Over the past month, SCA brought together more than 70 alumni to ring in spring with SCA Alumni Events in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington, DC.
On Saturday, February 27th, seven enthusiastic SCA alums met in Berkeley, California for the Bay Area’s Alumni Engagement Event. The group enjoyed a warm evening outside swapping stories of crew highlights, then headed to the BANFF Mountain Film Festival World Tour. They left the outdoor adventure film festival feeling excited to plan their next camping trips!
In Washington, DC on April 2nd, SCA alumni gathered again for a VIP tour of the National Geographic Museum. The group of 18 explored two captivating seasonal exhibits. The first was “Crocs,” a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating history and biology of crocodilian species. Alums got to listen to crocodile calls, create 3-D animations of the ancient predators, and see some live specimens up close and personal. The group also explored the “Photo Ark” exhibit, a multiyear National Geographic project with the goal to create portraits of the world’s species before they disappear and to inspire people to take action to protect these species from extinction. This exhibit was especially exciting for younger participants, who used the opportunity to show off their zoological knowledge. The day ended at a local sandwich shop with good food and great laughs, as alums swapped stories and exchanged professional networking tips.
Meanwhile, on the same day in New York City, 46 SCA alumni gathered at the National Museum of the American Indian. After enjoying food and conversation in the museum’s Diker Pavilion, alumni set off on VIP tours of the exhibitions and the spectacular Beaux Arts architecture of the US Custom Building. SCA Board Member Carrie Gonzalez — a cultural interpreter at the museum — led tours exploring how the natural history of New York is interwoven with the history of its native peoples.
After the indoor tours, SCA alumni continued on a walking tour of the Financial District, visiting Federal Hall and historic Stone Street and ending the day with drinks and snacks at Fraunces Tavern — the oldest operating restaurant in NYC, where George Washington once dined with his officers.
Participants included alums who had served in 1980, 1989, 1991, and every year from 2008 up to 2016, working in locations across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Alaska, Hawaii, West Virginia, Kansas, South Dakota, Washington, Oregon, and Montana. Heidi Untener (SCA ’89) and Sam Willner (SCA ’15) swapped stories of trails they had both walked while serving in Glacier, while members of SCA crews who had served together in NYC reunited for the first time since going off to separate colleges.
Many alumni across the country parted ways with plans to meet up again at SCA’s upcoming Earth Day service events — and to reconnect at future SCA alumni events from coast to coast.
Are you an SCA alum looking to reconnect with SCA in your city? Stay tuned for upcoming events in your area this summer at www.thesca.org/events.
