Alumni share their favorite WashU class
Bears recall cherished memories and profound lessons from WashU classrooms and professors.
A one-way ticket to fascinating conversations
By Matt Hampton | June 14, 2024 If you could take a one-way trip to anywhere, where would you go? Over the past 12 years, Steven Shalowitz, AB ’86, has posed this question to more than 300 people — guests ranging from legendary talk-show host Dick Cavett to former CIA Director General David Petraeus, from […]
The history of Airband at WashU
By Matt Hampton | June 14, 2024 It may have been an off-the-wall concept, but from its debut in 1984, Airband became an instant hit and one of the most popular student events at Washington University in the 1980s and ’90s. Each spring, groups from across campus cobbled together cardboard sets, donned extravagant costumes, and […]
‘Pride and discipline:’ A brief history of women’s sports at WashU
From humble beginnings more than 100 years ago, women’s athletics at Washington University rose to remarkable success within NCAA Division III.
WashU love stories: Six campus crushes that turned into lifelong love
By Constance Gibbs and Matt Hampton | Feb. 14, 2024 “Matchmaking” isn’t one of WashU’s official programs, but there’s just something about this place that can bring two soulmates together. Look no further than our alumni for proof! After the overwhelming response to last year’s true-love tales, we’re sharing even more “how we met” stories […]
Diwali shines brightly among the WashU community
By Matt Hampton | Nov. 9, 2023 For decades, Diwali celebrations have brought together the South Asian students and alumni of Washington University in St. Louis. Diwali, known as the festival of lights, is one of India’s most significant holidays. In India, it is a five-day festival in which celebrants illuminate their homes, streets, and […]
Party like it’s 1929: The history of WashU’s Bauhaus Ball
By Matt Hampton | Oct. 26, 2023 Do you remember Bauhaus? From the 1980s until 2013, this architecture student tradition was famous as one of the liveliest Halloween parties on campus. In costumes that ranged from male nuns to Oscar the Grouch, thousands of students from across Washington University flocked to Givens Hall and danced […]
WUpan deepens commitment to student learning, civic engagement
by Virginia O’Donnell | April 13, 2023 When Sophie Lin, Class of 2026, visited the Missouri History Museum for the first time, the experience deepened her passion for the richness and complexity of St. Louis’ history. Her interest encompasses the city’s points of pride and the problematic patterns, such as systemic racism, that have shaped […]
Aaron Samuels, BSBA ’11, on the power of collective victory
By Ginger O’Donnell | May 15, 2023 Aaron Samuels defies labels. He is a spoken word artist and a published poet, author of the 2013 collection Yarmulkes & Fitted Caps. He is a corporate strategist who worked at Bain & Co. and an entrepreneur who co-founded and served as chief operating officer of Blavity, the […]
A brief history of ThurtenE Carnival
By Ginger O’Donnell For nearly nine decades, ThurtenE Carnival has served as a late spring occasion for WashU students to let loose. The event is the largest student-run carnival in the United States and includes games, dramatic entertainment, rides, and other forms of amusement. The tradition harks back to the early 1900s, when the […]