Blue Jays Give Back, Soar Forward

For undergraduates, the start of the senior year can be an exciting, yet nerve-racking time. It’s a time to reflect, cherish, and prepare for the next steps after graduation. To kick off their final year, more than one hundred seniors gathered at the Bloomberg Student Center on the Homewood Campus to enjoy Italian ice, music, and games as well as to pick up custom class t-shirts.

Seniors received a t-shirt when they donated a symbolic $20.26 to their class giving campaign, supporting any area of Hopkins they choose, such as a student group, athletics team, hospital division, or school department. Many students say this is a chance to give back to the areas that helped shape their undergraduate experience the most.

“I’ve been a Krieger student for my past four years, and I just wanted to give back to the department that has helped me so much,” says Will Taggart, a class of 2026 public health major, who gave his gift to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

“One of my most meaningful experiences was studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, starting in 2024. I got the opportunity to return and continue that work this past summer on a project run by myself and another Hopkins student,” Taggart says. “The public health program and staff were really great at helping us plan and then supporting us while we were there.”

Students also saw another way to give back and commemorate their senior year through the Hop Into Fall campaign and by applying for a class ring.

The event was hosted by the Student Philanthropy Association and sponsored by the Office of Annual Giving and the Hopkins Fund, an annual giving program that provides support for student experiences, financial aid, and faculty research. In honor of the university’s 150th celebration, the Hopkins Fund and the Sesquicentennial Celebration Committee joined efforts to support the class t-shirts.

Just before snapping photos at a Hopkins-decorated backdrop, students explored two more tables with games and giveaways to learn about how alumni support also bolsters the student experience through the Hopkins Fund and the Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development office.

“The student experience is one of my favorite things about being at Johns Hopkins, all the different events and resources,” says Christian Mayr, also class of 2026 and a mechanical engineering major. “Being a part of that and paying it forward to the students coming up is really important to me.”

“I’m looking forward to my post-graduate plans, but also am enjoying the time that I have left here, hanging out with my friends and experiencing as much on campus as I can,” Mayr says.