Who's Coming Back?

Meet Hoyas attending their first reunion

The Georgetown class of 2003 is returning to the Hilltop for its first Reunion Weekend. We asked a handful of class members attending about their Georgetown experience and making their reunion debut.

• Ted Bauer (C'03)
• Hillary Billingsley (C'03)
• Jenny Bradley Heflin, MSB '03
• Missy Foy (C'03)
• Justin Wagner (C'03, L'06)
• Mike Yaeger (B'03)

Ted Bauer (C'03)

In what ways have you stayed involved with Georgetown, and why?
I actually wasn't for a while, but in the last year, I've been more involved with Reunion 2008 and some of the fundraising side. I was pretty active in organizations while at Georgetown, so it made sense to do it as an alum.

What is special about the Class of 2003 (or what has been most rewarding about working with your class)?
I think what's special about any Georgetown class is the sheer diversity of the people. I have friends that are lawyers, doctors, and investment bankers, sure; I also know people doing work in Indonesia, living in Argentina, just exploring the world and themselves. It's awesome.

What are you looking forward to about your first Reunion Weekend? Why do you encourage your classmates to attend?
I think the mid to late-20s are an interesting time for people. Some of your friends are engaged or married, some aren't. Some are out of the country, some are settling down and buying homes. It's a period unlike any other, because you look at most people north of 40, they're "settled" in some way, but your late 20s, you got a lot of people in a lot of different places. Any opportunity to reconnect en masse is special, and people should take advantage of it.

What place are you looking forward to visiting when you return to campus for Reunion, and why?
I would say the Esplanade. Always was a big fan of the view up there.

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Hillary Billingsley (C'03)

In what ways have you stayed involved with Georgetown, and why?
I have been involved with fundraising for the class and plan to be involved in the planning of the John Carroll Awards in New York and I do it because I think that Georgetown grads in general like networking and really love the school so we have to give people the opportunities to participate.

What are you looking forward to about your first Reunion? Why do you encourage your classmates to attend?
I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone. Just a couple of weeks ago I was talking to a classmate who had decided he wanted to quit finance and be a doctor, so now he is starting seven years of school. That takes a lot of guts and is pretty inspiring! Our class is a great mix of people with varied interests, which makes for good conversation.

What place are you looking forward to visiting when you return to campus for Reunion, and why?
It is not so much one place, I am more curious to see all of the changes that have taken place in the five years. When we graduated there was a huge hole in the ground by the lacrosse field and when we return, voila, buildings!

I also plan to have that chicken salad at The Tombs with the Boboli bread underneath, I loved that pizza/salad dearly and have missed it.

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Jenny Bradley Heflin, MSB '03

After being away from Georgetown for five years, what about Georgetown has stayed with you? (How does it continue to affect you?)
I have learned in these past five years what "Georgetown Forever" means. Even though I may not be on campus each day, my Georgetown experience certainly lives on forever in my regularly interactions with fellow alumni, former professors, staff and my fellow Hoya husband.

In what ways have you stayed involved with Georgetown, and why?
I have continued to volunteer at the Northwest Center since graduation. The Northwest Center is a small non-profit organization that was founded by Georgetown students and alumni and truly embodies Georgetown's mission of "men and women for others."

What is special about the Class of 2003 (or what has been most rewarding about working with your class)?
The Class of 2003 has tremendous spirit! I have had so much fun seeing classmates at the Hoya Basketball games, alumni networking events, Spring Break Party and more.

What are you looking forward to about your first Reunion? Why do you encourage your classmates to attend?
I can't wait to see everyone and swap stories! I am looking forward to hearing more about where people are living these days, what they have done since graduation and what their plans look like for the future. Also, I was married at Dahlgren Chapel last summer and am excited to return.

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Missy Foy (C'03)

After being away from Georgetown for five years, what about Georgetown has stayed with you? (How does it continue to affect you?)
I only took two years away, and missed it so much that I came back to work here! I had missed the people - from all backgrounds - the unbridled enthusiasm and energy of this campus, and most of all, this uniquely Georgetown spirit of giving and making a difference. Honestly, the thought of giving back wasn't high on my list of priorities before I came to Georgetown, but the Jesuits definitely got to me.

In what ways have you stayed involved with Georgetown, and why?
I supervise recipients of GSP Scholarships (Georgetown Scholarship Program) which reduces loans for students, primarily the first in their families to attend college. As I saw firsthand the impact of these amazing students' presence on campus, I became a donor to the program and it's what inspired me to help with reunion fundraising.

What is special about the Class of 2003 (or what has been most rewarding about working with your class)?
Did you see the list of people attending?! It's huge! We had a great time here as evidenced by the amount of people coming back. Our class also always had a unique ability to rally behind causes, perhaps due to a competitive spirit, which is why I think it's possible we'll win the trophy for fundraising away from Clinton's class. I think we also were a bit of troublemakers to the university, not in the most terrible way.

What are you looking forward to about your first Reunion? Why do you encourage your classmates to attend?
I'm really excited to see how people have changed, and what they're up to. I think it's important my classmates attend because, in my opinion, Georgetown's a better place today than it was when we were students, and that's hard to understand without setting foot on Healy Lawn. I want to listen to JTIII speak. Also, can someone get their hands on the original facebook we got during NSO?

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Justin Wagner (C'03, L'06)

After being away from Georgetown for five years, what about Georgetown has stayed with you?
Working in New York, I'm always spending time with friends from Georgetown. I think the most universal experience among people in our class was that some of our closest friends in the world are the ones we met at Georgetown.

What place on campus are you looking forward to visiting when you return for Reunion Weekend?
The Tombs. I know it's technically not on campus, but I doubt I could ever get tired of that place.

Why did you decide to become involved with Reunion planning?
Along with Tim Sullivan (C' 03), I'm the Class of 2003 Co-Chair and reunion planning was really the next step in keeping the class connected and promoting alumni involvement. Though some of us might see one another on occasion, I think it's important that we set aside one weekend every five years to return to the campus and catch up with the entire class.

Why do you encourage your classmates to attend Reunion?
Of course, you can always visit the campus and enjoy the new buildings or freshly manicured Healy Law. But Reunion is the only chance you get to do that with a large number of the people that you shared your Georgetown experience with. And because it's really the people that made the Georgetown experience, this is the chance to have a great time with your friends at the very place you all first met.

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Mike Yaeger (B'03)

After being away from Georgetown for five years, what about Georgetown has stayed with you? (How does it continue to affect you?)
What has stayed with me? My wife, Laura no-longer-Horos (N'03). I can't shake that girl.

In what ways have you stayed involved with Georgetown, and why?
Helping plan our five year reunion, interviewing applicants to Georgetown, and helping with the John T. Jackson Memorial Foundation — these things help keep me closer to my Georgetown friends.

What are you looking forward to about your first Reunion? Why do you encourage your classmates to attend?
Looking forward to seeing people I have lost touch with — I am encouraging my friends and classmates to come back because I feel like I owe a lot to Georgetown for the opportunities I have been given and I'd imagine a lot of my classmates feel the same way — or at the very least, come back to party on the Esplanade one more time.

What place are you looking forward to visiting when you return to campus for Reunion, and why?
My wife isn't looking forward to this one as much as I am, but I think it will be fun to stay in the dorms with some of our friends. Why? Rhi-not?

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