Student News Alumni Coverage Newsletter: How Student Journalists Report on Former Students

Every school has a larger story that extends beyond its current students and staff. Alumni represent that larger story: the paths that graduates have taken, the ways the school shaped or failed to shape them, and the distance between where they started and where they are now. Student journalists who cover alumni well produce some of the most widely read content in any student publication.

Finding the right alumni story

Not every alum produces a story worth reading. The ones worth covering are those whose paths, reflections, or accomplishments say something meaningful to current students. A recent graduate navigating the transition to college while working has a story current juniors and seniors will recognize. An alumna who started a small business using skills she developed in an elective class has a story that connects the curriculum to real outcomes.

Teachers and counselors who have maintained relationships with former students are the best source of alumni leads. They know who has been doing interesting things and who is willing to talk to a student journalist.

What to ask alumni

The most useful alumni interviews for current students focus on retrospect and advice. What does the alum see differently about their school experience now that they could not see at the time? What did the school prepare them for better than they expected? Where did they find themselves unprepared? What would they do differently?

These questions produce specific, honest answers that are more valuable to current students than a career summary. Current students are not looking for alumni success stories. They are looking for honest information about what comes next.

Recent versus long-term alumni

Recent alumni offer proximity. They remember what it felt like to be where current students are, and their experience of the transition is still fresh. Long-term alumni offer perspective. They have had time to understand what the school actually gave them and what it did not. Both are worth covering; both require different questions.

The oral history opportunity

Alumni interviews, particularly with long-term graduates, offer an oral history opportunity that most student publications miss. An interview with someone who graduated forty years ago about what the school was like then is a document of local history. A series of such interviews over several years creates an archive that the school community will value for decades.

Distribution and alumni engagement

Alumni coverage reaches beyond the current student audience. Former students and their families often follow the school's communication even years after graduation. When alumni features are shared through the school newsletter and posted on the publication's website, they reach the very people they are about, which often produces additional story leads and source relationships.