Michelle Cooke '90

Michelle Cooke ’90 got started as a volunteer only four years after she graduated from Pomona, when she was asked to serve on her five-year reunion fund committee. “I learned that I’m really uncomfortable asking people for money, but entirely comfortable asking people to volunteer,” she says.

It was at her five-year reunion that Cooke saw her first Parade of Classes, introducing her to Pomona traditions. “I found it so inspiring to see all those people come back to celebrate the College and to be celebrated themselves.”

Now at alumni events, Cooke takes every opportunity to make connections between Pomona alumni. While she volunteers for other local organizations in the San Francisco Bay area, Cooke keeps coming back to Pomona. “I’ve made such wonderful friends since volunteering for Pomona,” she says. “My Pomona community is much broader than just my classmates, and I can’t imagine it any other way.”

Today, when she’s not recruiting alumni to help with a Bay Area Regional Community event, chances are she’s doing something else for her alma mater. In all, she’s been an active volunteer with the Alumni Association Board, the Alumni Admissions Volunteers program, the Alumni Career Advisors network, the Annual Fund, and Alumni Weekend.
Cooke offers a few pieces of advice for other volunteers. Think realistically about what you’re interested in doing and what you can commit to, then follow through on those commitments. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. “When planning events for your regional community,” she says, “plan something you’d want to do anyway, then you’re bound to have fun.”

To be a volunteer in your area, contact the Alumni Office by phone at 909-621-8110 or by e-mail at alumni@pomona.edu.