Introducing…the Alumni Association
By Janna P.
Anna’s senior basement is now reality – well, a pretty close version of it is. Several years ago on First Class (the old NSA social platform before Teams), Anna, then a sixth grader, did some renovating to what has come to be known as the basement, a space just to keep the much-loved seniors around, virtually speaking of course, complete with ice cream, pillows, cobwebs, and rotten food. The new alumni association may or may not have these comforts, but it certainly has members. NSA home office staff reached out to graduates back to 2013, and currently, 47 former NSAers call themselves alumni association members. Through the association, which uses a Discord server, NSA alumni have the opportunity to keep their iNSAne memories alive from their time here, take advantage of networking opportunities, and continue to grow the lifelong relationships they’ve made.
While members do use their Discord server for messaging and impromptu calls amongst themselves, you’ll also see them around in familiar places as guests. NSA Connects, the NorthStar Narrative, and the NSA Blog are all open to them. But, members are not just limited to virtual interaction. Meetups throughout the year are planned, and alumni are warmly invited to attend NSA graduations. Currently, talk of a possible mission trip is even being kicked around. What a wonderful opportunity to both serve the Lord and solidify friendships!
For those who may be unfamiliar with Discord, it is set up similar to Teams with a few differences. A “Server” is the Discord equivalent to a “Team,” including channels. The alumni Discord server has channels like general, elbow pics, event planning, and prayer requests. Like on Teams, you can directly message someone or a group of people. However, unlike Teams, the association uses a single server, meaning it doesn’t have a variety of “Teams,” to which NSA students are accustomed. Additionally, alumni have their own personal accounts with which to use Discord; those aren’t school-controlled. Riley Nielsen, 2020 NSA grad, adds, “I would argue that Discord has a more refined interface than Teams, especially in dark mode, but there is a small learning curve. However, any senior who is used to Teams should have no trouble picking up Discord!” The acronym for the server is NSA^3, where the cubed three stands for the three A’s in NorthStar Academy Alumni Association.
Already the association has enjoyed (and relived!) some fun memories. While attending the 2022 NSA graduation back in June, Riley ran into Esther, this year’s Student Council president. Riley recounted that, “She asked what my last name was. I replied ‘Nielsen,’ to which she exclaimed ‘You’re Technielsen!’ It was then I realized that this nickname had stuck for two years following my own graduation. Truly, I was flattered. My second memory from NSA graduation comes from the furniture section of a Mississippi Target. Yes, you read that right. All of us had free time and parents to drive us on Friday, so for some unknown reason, we found ourselves at Target, and in the furniture section, no less! We pulled whatever chairs and flat surfaces we could find into a circle and began telling stories of NSA lore.” Now that is an iNSAne storytime. Only at NorthStar!
Doesn’t all of this sound like a blast to you graduating seniors out there? Well, good. Joining the alumni association is easy enough. If you attend the NSA graduation in person (and you’re a senior), you’ll be given the link to join the platform. Or, if you can’t manage to get to Mississippi, the information will also be emailed to all seniors. As a senior myself, I certainly plan on jumping aboard and greatly anticipate all the fun memories to be made in years to come through the association.
Columns: 🧑🚀NSA Culture
Janna P. is a senior and seventh-year NSA student who lives in Idaho with her family of five. She enjoys reading, cooking, baking, traveling the Northwest, hanging out with her family, and spending time in God's creation. This is her first year on the Navigator. After her schooling career is over, she hopes to become a librarian and published author.