Dining with the Deacs

On Sunday, March 22nd, Dr. Dan Beavers (’01) and his family hosted a group of 7 seniors in their home for a “Dining with the Deacs”! Throughout the school year, Wake Forest alumni partner with the Office of Alumni Engagement in hosting students in their homes for a wonderful meal and meaningful conversation. Each dinner provides a way for students to learn from the wisdom and experience of each alumnus, as they share about their journey from college to career and more.

“When I learned about Dining with the Deacs, I knew I wanted to be involved because it would be a great chance to give back to the Wake Forest community that was so generous to me when I was a student, and I am so blessed to be in a position where I can pay it forward. These seniors are all about to enter a very exciting phase of life, and it was great hearing their plans and imparting a bit of wisdom my wife and I have. I absolutely recommend being a Dining with the Deacs host, and we hope to do it again in the future!” – Dr. Dan Beavers (’01)

Some feedback from two students on the value of “Dining with the Deacs”:

“As both the daughter of an alumnus (Dan Whitener ’84) and being a student over 9 hours away from home, I welcome opportunities to connect with alumni and grow my local family (not to mention the amazing home-cooked meal!). Having timeto gather with fellow seniors, some of whom I met freshman year and others I had only seen walking across the Quad, to discuss life after graduation was encouraging and nostalgic. It was amazing to hear the various paths the other students are headed on, but also comforting to hear from our hosts that we do not have it all figured out right now! The Beavers were an excellent example of encouraging one another in personal and professional interests, an embodiment of the Deacon spirit.” – Olivia Whitener (’15)

“Attending Dining with the Deacs gives students a great opportunity to talk with older Deacs about life after college. Connecting with alumni who live in Winston-Salem is also a chance for students to get off campus and connect, as students love being welcomed into a home, which is pretty unusual to find while classes are in session, and I am not back in Florida with my family (my mom, Cindy Bedell ’78, got me hooked on the Deacs). The Beavers were such great hosts, and we enjoyed hearing about their loves and what they love about Wake Forest!” – Chester Bedell (’15)