Ten years ago, Muhlenberg held its first Toast Heard Around the World (THAW) for students and alumni to celebrate the College and each other. Recognizing that not all alumni could regularly return to Muhlenberg, ‘Berg wanted a way to bring Muhlenberg to them. Ten years later, that tradition lives on, as Muhlenberg celebrated its 10th annual THAW on Thursday, Jan. 19. In addition to alumni hosting events in their respective cities, a student THAW was also held on campus.
This year’s student THAW was themed “THAW at the Casino.” The casino was held in the Muhlenberg Light Lounge where students could enjoy free food and drinks, entertainment, prizes, a photo booth and a performance by Renee Audrey ‘22. During the course of the celebration, students were encouraged to write out everything they loved about ‘Berg on big posters to win an extra raffle ticket. THAW also allowed the Muhlenberg community to gather to celebrate the College and demonstrated what Mules can accomplish when they come together, and over 250 students attended. Multiple college departments and student organizations came together to run the event including the Muhlenberg Activities Council, the Office of Alumni Affairs, ‘Berg Productions and the Cardinal Key Society. Student THAW included six student hosts—Dylan De Magistris ‘24, Sydney Holliday ‘23, Sam Brown ‘23, Britney Jara ‘23, Jacob Swartz ‘23 and Allison Mintz ‘23—who replicated what an alumni host might do for a THAW event by helping with planning, entertainment, promotion and holding toasts to Muhlenberg throughout the night.
Brown shared “I loved being a student host! I think that my favorite part had to be working with the other incredible emcees, they’re all such big personalities and did an amazing job making sure the event was a success. I took [being a student host] as an amazing opportunity to give back to the College that’s given me so much these past four years!”
For students that may have missed this year’s celebration or are unfamiliar with student THAW, Director of Alumni Affairs Brad Ludwig says that the most important things to know are that “student THAW is always a fun kickoff to the semester and is open and free to all students… [another] really big takeaway is that while student THAW is always so much fun, the fun doesn’t end after you graduate!”
Alumni festivities were not limited to the Light Lounge. One of the best parts of THAW is its ability to bring Mules together worldwide, and this year was no different. This year’s events spanned the country and the continent, with 94 alumni volunteers hosting 54 THAW events from New Jersey to California to Jamaica. Alumni were encouraged to take pictures of their toasts and celebrations and send them to the Office of Alumni Affairs so they could be compiled into this year’s folder documenting the celebrations.
Davis Miller ‘24 commented saying, “I thought it was pretty cool how there were casino games. Overall, it was enjoyable, and [I] would go again next year.” Students who are interested in being a student host or volunteer next year are encouraged to reach out to Jessika Parra in the Alumni Affairs office at jessikaparra@muhlenberg.edu.
