The CHP Celebrates its Twentieth Anniversary
On October 25th, 2008, CHP alumni, parents, friends and current students gathered at the University Club to celebrate twenty years of honors at UCI. The event was a chance to reconnect with friends and relive CHP experiences, all the while raising money for a good cause. Alumni Michael Ong (’93) and Kimberly (Russell) Ong (’95) co-chaired this event, which raised money for a new endowment for the CHP. We are happy to report that, thanks to the generosity of the attendees, and others who contributed and could not attend, $15,000 was raised toward the goal of $25,000. (UCI requires at least $25,000 to begin an endowment.)
Guests experienced an evening which included musical performances by current CHP students, congratulatory speeches by Chancellor Michael V. Drake and Dean Sharon Salinger, and Director Roger McWilliams’ recounting of the history of the CHP. Alumni steering, decorating, and publicity committees planned and brought the event to fruition. Two highlights of the evening required the input and care of many alumni: the honoring of the CHP founding staff, and a slide-show tracing twenty years of CHP history. Special thanks to the many alumni who submitted thank-you notes and remembrances to the three CHP founders: Professor Roger McWilliams, Dr. Audrey DeVore, and Susan Csikesz. Scrapbooks containing the notes were assembled by alumnae Andrea Canfield (’93), Erica (Yamaguchi) Stelcik (’96), and current student Jessica Wagner, and were presented to the founders in a special ceremony. The evening culminated with the CHP tradition of a slide-show. Assembled by alumna Lisa (Kleinsasser) Schuster (’02), the slide-show contained photos submitted by CHP alumni, and traced CHP student life from the first summer program to the present. Thank you alumni, for the photos you sent in!
The 20th Anniversary Celebration was only the first in a series of events slated for this anniversary year. If you were unable to attend this event, please plan to join us for some of the other alumni events taking place this year, including the Pub Night in February. We would love to see you there!
