Announcer Sohn Beom-su Chosen to Represent the 2011 Reunion On May 14th, a reunion event was held among Yonsei alumni celebrating the 25th and 50th anniversary of graduation. Not having visited the campus for quite a while, the alumni shared the memories of their school years. The event, which was led primarily by the class of 1982 (1980 in the case of the college of medicine), was represented by Sohn Beom-su, the former KBS　announcer. The reunion event holds many meanings. Representative Sohn Beom-su explained that there is more to a reunion than visiting the school in 25 years and having an anniversary ceremony with old friends on a homecoming day. “25 years have passed since graduation and our alumni have made it to various positions in many areas of society. In that context, a reunion holds significant meaning by enabling the alumni to recall the memories of their past school lives and enabling them to start re-networking among themselves. The power of continued networking throughout the second half of our lives won't be small. As a matter of fact, the ‘2011 Yonsei Alumni Reunion Homepage’ has been created so that the network does not end as a one-time thing but is maintained even after the reunion event is over. The alumni celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversary of graduation have planned many meaningful activities through the reunion event held on May 14th. The most basic of those activities is the school's development fund raised by the contribution of many. “I feel grateful for the benefits the school has given me. It was Yonsei University that enabled me to be a part of society with pride. Ever since the moment I entered Yonsei, I was given much help, whether tangible or not, from senior alumni. I hope to repay this debt.” How does Mr. Sohn remember his school days? He recalled that the year 1982, when he entered the school of business, was not a very happy period. Troubles inside and outside of the school took place constantly and the smell of tear gas filled the school all the time. “The situational context at the time made it difficult for students and professors to form close bonds. Today the mentor system in each department allows freshmen who just graduated from high school to communicate and maintain relationships with older graduates, but this was unimaginable back then. So I had to form such relationships more through club activities outside of the department. I became a member of YBS and learned many things and also took on a leadership role as the director there." Mr. Sohn's experience as a YBS leader later acted as nourishment for his path of becoming an announcer. "There were times when it was difficult to make decisions as the director. Once there were some problems within the school and we had to decide whether to hold the YBS festival at Cheongsongdae as scheduled. Opinions diverged and making the final decision was difficult as the director. Thinking back, I realize that those experiences have tempered me and have provided me with the nourishment for my future role in society. Of course, my experience as an announcer at YBS has greatly helped the career　I have today." Lastly, Mr. Sohn was asked what Yonsei means to him. "To me, Yonsei is a culture. It is the answer to the right way of life and it is the value I should live by. It's a culture of the mind and it wasn't forced upon me but was something I learned unknowingly during my four undergraduate years. Other senior alumni say the same thing―that Yonsei has a unique culture that no other school has, a Christianity-based culture of serving others. There are many kinds of culture such as the culture of a nation or that of a particular group, but, to me, it is the culture of Yonsei that has been the most influential."