Wabash: An Adoption of Sorts
Reading about the many adoptions featured in this edition, I think of two friends of mine who chose to adopt from Russia after years of trying to have children. They first adopted Sean, a toddler from a Siberian orphanage, making several trips there before they could bring him home.
In the fall before Sean’s first Christmas with them, our friends got word that his half-brother had been placed in the same orphanage. They were told that if they wanted to adopt him, they needed to travel to Siberia immediately.
So Sean stayed with us at our condo in Colorado while our friends left for Russia to get the adoption process moving.
Weeks passed, Christmas Eve was upon us, and Sean was very anxious about a Christmas without his parents. As we gathered in the clubhouse for the condo association’s Christmas Eve party, Sean’s concern turned to joy when his parents walked in with Santa Claus! Later that year they returned to Siberia to bring home their other son.
We still go to Colorado with the family for several weeks of skiing each winter. We also get together for birthdays and holidays in Indiana; but it’s not quite the same with Sean having moved away to start his life.
freshmen go through an adoption of sorts at Wabash. They may not know anyone when they arrive on campus, but by the end of orientation they have begun to build relationships that continue to grow as the students expand their circle of friends beyond classes, teams, clubs, and living units. By the end of freshman year they have a core group of friends that may include professors, coaches, and members of the Wabash staff. During the next three years, these circles of friends start to include the broader Wabash family of alumni and parents of other Wabash students.
As alumni of Wabash, we have each had the experience of new jobs in new cities. The Wabash network of alumni is a valuable resource in getting adopted into a new community that ties us back to our alma mater.
We keep the network strong by helping each other.
Yours in Wabash,
—RICK CAVANAUGH ’76
President, NAWM