Brandeis Magazine

As she began thinking about applying to law school, Alison Hagani ’22 found she had lots of questions: How do you choose the right school? What’s law school like? What is the best way to prepare for a career in public-sector advocacy?

Hagani didn’t have any close family or friends who are lawyers to guide her. So she found her answers through Brandeis’ new Rise Together Mentor Network, which links students with alumni mentors through the B Connect online community. Funded by an anonymous donor family, Rise Together was launched in March by the Hiatt Career Center to help students network and build strong mentor relationships.

Designed to go beyond LinkedIn by offering ongoing support, the Rise Together program encourages members to build their own “boards of directors,” a group of like-minded alumni with complementary skills, who not only help to launch careers but can offer guidance as an individual’s career progresses and evolves.

Initially, Hagani, who hopes to have a career in domestic violence law, reached out to attorney Sarah Sue Landau ’14. When Landau learned Hagani wanted to pursue a practice very different from her own, intellectual property law, she brought a second mentor into the mix: New York University law student Leonie Koch ’16, a former board member of NYU Law’s Domestic Violence Advocacy Project.

Hagani joined Landau and Koch for a Zoom meeting, during which they “hopped around to so many subjects,” Hagani says. “It was really enlightening to get multiple perspectives. We talked about financial aid, and they gave me advice I hadn’t heard before. I asked if law school is a supportive environment like Brandeis, how professors engage. They shared insights you just can’t get on the internet, including what law school is like for those who want to work in public interest fields.”

The mentors augmented each other. Koch’s enthusiasm for law school offered a counterpoint to Landau’s reflections on her experiences. “When Sarah Sue talked about law school, she shared some of the hard truths as well as the high points,” says Koch. “It was good to have the counterbalance.”

Rise Together promises to be just as rewarding and meaningful for the mentors as it is for those seeking advice. Though lawyers and law students are routinely overextended, Hagani’s advisers were happy to make time for the highly focused, curious undergraduate. Both Landau and Koch say they caught glimpses of their younger selves in Hagani.

“Brandeisians are just extremely nice, and I’ve always found help within the Brandeis network, no matter how long ago people graduated,” says Landau, who got her current job through a Brandeis connection. “I think it’s great Ali reached out while she’s still in school.”

The trio plans to stay in touch. “I have no doubt Ali will do incredible things,” says Koch. “I would love to see her succeed. She’s going to be such a credit to the legal community.”

— Susan Seligson

If you’re interested in becoming a mentor or offering career guidance, join the Rise Together program on the new B Connect website, Brandeis’ networking and mentorship hub. You’ll be able to engage in Rise Together as much or as little as you wish, from answering questions as part of a group to establishing an ongoing mentoring relationship with a student.

Alison Hagani ’22 (center) with attorney Sarah Sue Landau ’14 (left) and law student Leonie Koch ’16

When I was an undergraduate at Brandeis, I was a prolific photographer. I took photos of theater and film productions in Spingold, Levin Ballroom and Cholmondeley’s. I shot musical performances in venues from Slosberg, to the Stein, to the Usdan courtyard. I photographed student art on display at the Rose or on random open wall spaces around campus. I saw firsthand how the arts appeal to a wide cross section of Brandeis students, connecting them across interests, residence halls, majors and class years.

Our Alumni Association is all about making connections, too: with Brandeis, with today’s students and with one another. When we remember the movie nights we enjoyed together, the dorms we lived in, the classes we took, the activities we participated in or the special moments we lived through, these memories link us back to Brandeis and the bonds we built there. The Alumni Association helps us maintain these important ties that add meaning to our lives.

Let’s keep the connections strong. Log in to the new B Connect and complete your profile. B Connect gives you access to an online network of alumni who share your personal or professional interests. It’s also an easy means of sharing your latest news with the Brandeis community. Signing up for B Connect takes just a couple of minutes.

And while you’re doing that, please consider joining the Rise Together initiative, which enables Brandeisians from every profession to mentor and network with current students and young alumni just starting out in their careers (see the story about the program, above). Helping the Brandeis community make these life-changing connections is what our Alumni Association is all about.

I hope everyone is well. I look forward to seeing you on campus in the near future.

My best,

Lewis Brooks ’80, P’16
President, Brandeis Alumni Association

Alumni who attended Alumni Weekend, presented entirely online this June because of coronavirus-related restrictions, weren’t able to hug old friends or stroll through campus. But their pride for their alma mater was on full display, and connections among graduates were as strong as ever.

More than 1,350 alumni and friends registered for the weekend, which offered 42 events via Zoom.

Alumni Achievement Awards were given to sociologist Patricia Hill Collins ’69, PhD’84, and Susan Reich Weiss ’71 and Drew Weissman ’81, MA’81, P’15, two scientists whose research has proved instrumental in understanding coronaviruses and developing COVID-19 vaccines.

During his university update, President Ron Liebowitz discussed the past academic year — one unlike any other in the university’s history — and Brandeis’ future, including its plans for creating a new engineering major.

2020 Alumni Achievement Award recipient Michael Sugar ’95, the Oscar-winning producer of the 2015 film “Spotlight,” spoke with American studies professor Tom Doherty about the movie business and his time at Brandeis. “I really liked the idea of being in a school that was prestigious and top-notch but also wasn’t so steeped in tradition,” Sugar said. “I could be part of some disruption within it, which was my ambition at the time.”

Ninety-eight members of the Class of 1966 tuned in from around the world to mark their 55th Reunion with a marathon celebration that lasted four and a half hours.

“Truth unto its innermost parts” was the topic of a conversation between Michael Horowitz ’84, inspector general of the U.S. Department of Justice, and legendary journalist Bob Woodward. The event, hosted by Maura Jane Farrelly, associate professor of American studies, was held on the same day Horowitz announced he would begin an investigation into whether the Trump administration improperly seized phone records of Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives, congres­sional staff members and journalists.

Fine arts professor Gannit Ankori, recently named the Henry and Lois Foster Director and chief curator at the Rose Art Museum, shared highlights from the museum’s rich history to commemorate the Rose’s 60th birthday. If you missed or want to relive the weekend’s festivities, visit this video archive to see some of the key events.

And don’t forget to save the date for Alumni Weekend 2022, which will be held June 10-12. See you then!

What Alumni Weekend Attendees Said

Class of 1966: “It was a very stimulating two days. I imagine I heard more and saw more [online] than I ever could have in person, and it was so much less expensive than flying in from Seattle!”

Class of 1986: “This was one of the first things I did as an alum in a long time, and I am very glad I did.”

Class of 1991: “It’s so hard to believe 30 years have passed. I feel blessed for the friendships that can pick right up again even after all these years. I loved catching up with everyone and can’t wait for an in-person reunion next year. I will make the trip from Cairo for it.”

(Mona) Jerusha Hull McCormack, MA’66, PhD’73, and John Blair were married at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Dublin, Ireland, on Feb. 13.

Robert Schwartz ’08 and Elizabeth Gordon were married in June 2020 in a socially distanced ceremony for family, with Brandeis friends attending virtually.