By Erica Johnston T'15
Erica is a second-year student from Chicago. She studied marketing and international business at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to Tuck, she worked in operations management in the industrial sector. A career-switcher, Erica has plans to work in brand management within the food industry.
Before arriving at Tuck, I’d heard a lot about the “devoted alumni network,” but I wondered if this was just marketing hullabaloo or if my experience would live up to the hype. Let’s just say it didn’t take long for me to realize that this was the real deal. Take last summer for example.
It all started last spring. I had my sights set on working in brand management, in the food industry, preferably in the organic space. Using Tuck’s alumni database, I learned that Lauren Tankersley T’07 works for WhiteWave Foods, one of my target companies. I reached out to Lauren via email and in less than 24 hours from our first contact, she’d helped me secure a first round interview. Thanks in part to Lauren’s advice and feedback, I landed the internship at WhiteWave and had the privilege to work for Lauren on one of my favorite brands, Silk.
Now that the job was secured, I had to find housing and transportation for my summer in Denver, where WhiteWave is headquartered. Having never been to Denver, I turned to Lorea Barturen T’14, a former Denver resident, to help me narrow down neighborhoods. Unfortunately, I found the temporary housing market to be limited and pricey. Factor that into a student budget along with the need for a rental car and I began to worry. As I sat at my desk in my Tuck dorm room, wondering what to do, an email popped up from my fairy godmother. (Well, that’s how I think of her.) Sue Allon T’89, someone who I’d never met nor communicated with, emailed me out of the blue offering me the opportunity to live with her and her family for the summer. Not only that, but she offered me a car to borrow for the summer. To top it off, Sue and her husband Harvey refused to let me compensate them for their generosity. “Someday you’ll be in a similar position and I know you’ll open your doors to Tuckies and others,” she told me.
Sue and her family welcomed me with open arms. They invited me to join in on family dinners, events, and connected me to the Denver community. I enjoyed discussing the daily headlines with Harvey over breakfast. A fellow health-conscious foodie and adventurous eater, Harvey introduced me to many new, exciting foods. (If you haven’t tried a Chia Pod, go for it!) I had a great time going out with Sue and garnering career and life advice along the way. Our first adventure was 
to an over 100-year-old iris farm where we dug our own irises to add to the Allon family garden. What better way to get to know someone than to dig irises together?! I also really enjoyed getting to know Sue & Harvey’s daughter, Natalie, too. I found myself feeling jealous when she told me she got to spend part of her summer in Hanover for a Dartmouth summer program. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the pets that rounded out my summer family—three dogs, a cat, and three chickens kept me company and brought me many laughs.
Sue didn’t just welcome me into her family, she also helped me make the most of my summer. Before I even landed foot in Denver, she’d scheduled a lunch for me with the CEO of WhiteWave, Gregg Engles D’79, a rare opportunity. Most of my coworkers hadn’t even met Gregg, much less have lunch with him! Sue works magic! Now you’re starting to understand the fairy godmother thing, right?
Other Tuckies also made my Denver summer special. Newton Logan T’81 and his family invited me into their home for a lovely home-cooked meal. Michael Needel T’15 and I welcomed two T’16s, Remi Evans and Jon Elkin, into the Tuck family over drinks. I hosted the Denver Global Tuck 'Tails, which close to 20 local alumni—from T’72s to T’16s—attended and sparked the inception of a Tuck women’s monthly dinner.
I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I’ve learned that the Tuck network is more than your everyday, run-of-the-mill network. Tuckies are family.
(Photo above: Erica catches up with Sue Allon T'89 at Tuck.)
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Hiking with Jon Elkin T’16 |
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Global Tuck 'Tails |
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Drinks with Jon Elkin T’16, Remi Evans T’16, and Michael Needel T’15 |