AUP ’90s Alumni Return to Paris

During Commencement weekend (May 24-27, 2018), a group of AUP alumni from the 1990s returned to Paris for the AUP Real McCoy ’90s Reunion. The event was hosted by AUP and co-organized with alumnae Jena Starkes (’94) and Kate Allison (’97).

The Real McCoy All ’90s Decade Reunion took its name from the American food vendor located on rue de Grenelle, a favorite with AUP students in the 1990s and still going strong today. The title was also a statement of intent from the alumnae co-organizers to keep the whole weekend “really real” – attendees had the chance to catch up with classmates in a non-traditional setting, with plenty of options for informal meetings.

For many, the Happy Hour at the new AMEX, the first official event on the program, was the first chance to see what AUP looks like today. The new AMEX, located on the ground level of our Combes Student Life Center, may look different – with a customized design mixing retro pieces and contemporary features – however the ’90s alumni found that its raison d’être, as a meeting point for friends and colleagues round the world, had not changed.

While some of the 85 alumni in attendance are currently based in Paris, many had traveled the globe to be at the event, from the US, to Hong Kong, Dubai and Morocco. For many in the group, it was the first time they had seen their classmates for over twenty years. At a brunch on May 25th, the ’90s alumni were joined by the AUP Board of Trustees, of whom the chair, Ray Henze, was delighted to welcome this fondly remembered cohort back to campus. Faculty – such as Edith Taieb, Roy Rosenstein and Professor Emeritus, James Clayson – were also in attendance.

The Global Nomads Group (GNG), founded by four AUP alumni in the 1990s, celebrated their 20-year anniversary on the same weekend. Today GNG is a global network that leverages technology, storytelling and personal connections to enable conversation between middle school and high school students across the world. Its founders were honored at Commencement 2018 with the Distinguished Alumni Award alongside fellow 90s alumna Gisel Kordestani ('96), a tech entrepreneur, formerly in leadership at Google and now at the helm of CrowdPac, who received The Presidential Medal of Distinguished Achievement. The “boys from GNG” hosted an Anniversary Gala at the Hotel Pullman Tour Eiffel and also participated in reunion activities.

On Friday May 25, ’90s alumni gathered in AUP’s Grenelle building for a panel with the four GNG alumni founders, chaired by Professor Waddick Doyle.

During the panel the four alumni discussed the extraordinary work of the Global Nomads Group, which began with satellite video calls between students in Iraq and the US. The organization now operates on every continent, harnessing new technologies such as virtual reality. They also discussed the transformative effect of their time at AUP with Professor Doyle.

“At AUP, there’s not only two cultures, but somehow the space between cultures,” said Professor Doyle. “Everybody here is always outside their culture in some way. Being outside your culture, in some way, makes you reflect about who you are.”

The next day, the group gathered on the grass outside the rue de Grenelle building for a nostalgic Parisian picnic, beneath a sunny summer sky, attended by AUP President Celeste Schenck, as well as faculty and staff.

“For me, the best part of this weekend is seeing people I haven’t necessarily seen in more than 20 years, but realizing that – because of our shared experience at AUP – it’s as if it had been two weeks. It’s been really wonderful catching up with people and seeing where life has taken everybody,” said Claire Fitzpatrick ’96 at the Saturday picnic.

In a heart-warming exchange with Professor Susan Perry, Dwight Day (’96) said, “Professor Perry encouraged me to go to law school. Here I am fifteen years of practice because of her.” “I recognized a good analytical mind when I saw one,” added Professor Perry.

After the picnic, students joined cherished faculty emeriti George Wanklyn and Christine Baltay for Cultural Program-style tours of the Musée de l’Armée and Musée Jacquemart André. Saturday night was for dancing SGA-style to classic 1990s hits.

You can see photos from the weekend on AUP Global, your alumni portal.