Hello alumni!

I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy as we navigate this unusual time. I am excited to bring you another issue of the Encore detailing our adventures in this new remote world. This quarter, we faced an unprecedented challenge in maintaining as much of our operations and traditions as possible within this new normal. However, our chapter rose to the occasion, and with the support of an amazingly dedicated active body this year's officer board was able to adapt many events to run remotely. We held virtual fundraisers, conducted professional workshops and brotherhood hangouts over Zoom, and held our usual meetings (including Elections!) online. As you will read in this issue, this quarter was a fun and productive one despite the challenges of quarantine!

I would like to thank all of you for your support of our chapter during this uncertain time, especially for your patience and understanding as things change with new information from UCLA and county orders. A special thank you to everyone who participated in our virtual Alumni Mentoring Event this quarter, your presence and advice was extremely helpful and strengthened feelings of brotherhood during this stressful time. You can read a firsthand account from an active participant in the Virtual Alumni Mentoring article in this issue! 

This quarter we also welcomed our newest class of brothers, Beta Psi, into our chapter with a virtual graduation ceremony in lieu of Third Degree (which you can read about in this issue as well!). While they are now accepted as full brothers in our chapter, their Third Degree (and all the events leading up to it) unfortunately remain indefinitely postponed. More information on that will come from next year's officer board, so stay tuned! 

On that note, I would like to announce our newly elected officers for the 2020-21 school year! You can read messages from the new President and Alumni Relations Officer below - please feel free to reach out to them is you have any questions, concerns, ideas, or suggestions for the summer or fall. The new officers are:

President: Erica Vellanoweth, BΦ
Vice President of Membership: Emma Boone, BΦ
Sergeant-at-Arms: Garrett Henkle, BΦ
​Director of Service: Gina Talcott, BΨ
Director of Music: Renee Shanteler, BΨ
Treasurer: Kylie Williams, BΨ
Brotherhood Relations Officer: Ryan Lee, BX
Director of Brotherhood/Sisterhood Relations: Adriana Vree, BΨ
Director of Band Activities: Brianna Becerra, BΨ
Secretary: Naveed Zaman, BX
Alumni Relations Officer: Carrie Appel, BX
Historian: Matt Sanruk, BΨ
Webmaster: Emily Davis, BΦ

We closed this year by saying farewell to the graduating Class of 2020, a group of wonderful, dedicated, and talented brothers who have made a lasting impact on our chapter and the band as a whole. They will be greatly missed, but we can't wait to see what amazing things they accomplish as alumni. Read more about them in the Senior Spotlights 2020 article, and join us in honoring their achievements and welcoming them into the alumni community! 

Despite it's unusual ending, it has been an great honor to serve another term as your Alumni Relations Officer. I am excited to join you all as an alumna, and am even more excited to welcome next year's ARO, Carrie Appel! This summer will be a uniquely busy and challenging one as our new officers plan for the upcoming year, so please keep an eye on your emails for information and updates. I hope you all stay safe and healthy, and I wish you all a fantastic summer!

AEA,

Haley Breland, BY
Alumni Relations Officer, 2018 - 2020

If you would like to get more involved in our chapter this summer, here are some ways you can!

• If you participated in the Alumni Mentoring Event this quarter, feel free to stay in contact with your mentee! :)
• Interested in holding a virtual workshop for actives in your career/academic field? Reach out at alumni@themightypsi.org! There are many actives, candidates, and even band members at large who can benefit from your experience and advice. For example, we held one this Spring on Medical School and the medical field in general led by the wonderful Jason Scapa and Anthony Sanchez. All fields are welcome! 
• Work with actives in your family line to host a virtual hangout! You can play games like codenames over Zoom or watch movies together virtually with programs like Netflix Party. This can be a great way to show brotherhood and stay connected, distantly! 
• Have any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions about virtual events for the upcoming year? Let us know at alumni@themightypsi.org!
• If you are able, reach out to a current active you know (or that you don't!) to offer some words of encouragement or support. They could be in your family line, a candidate you interviewed who is now a new active, a recent graduate you'd like to welcome into the alumni community, or just someone you've seen at degree! A small display of brotherhood would be greatly appreciated by anyone you're comfortable reaching out to during this stressful time :) 

Keep an eye out for emails about virtual events this summer and fall, as well as updates about plans and programming from Psi and the band as we navigate this next chapter of our remote UCLA experience. As always, if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, thoughts, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to us at alumni@themightypsi.org. We love to hear from you! 

Thank you for reading this edition of the Encore. Stay home and stay safe everyone!