Gummere Fellows

The Gummere Fellows Program is made up of a talented and diverse group of students selected annually to represent the College as ambassadors who play pivotal roles in both enrollment and alumni engagement efforts.

Giving

2024-25 Gummere Fellows Annual Report

Admissions Impact

The Gummere Fellows program plays an essential role in supporting successful enrollment efforts for Lake Forest College. In an increasingly competitive enrollment landscape, it is imperative that the College always puts its best foot forward in any setting. Over the course of the past year, prospective students and families consistently approached admissions staff to remark on how well Gummere Fellows represented themselves, giving nuanced and thoughtful perspectives on their experiences as students. Below is a summary of admissions activities that the program supported:

3 Fall Open House Programs
7 Admitted Student Programs
Numerous individual outreach efforts to admitted students
Virtual meetings through admissions digital platform partner ZeeMee
1 Junior Visit Day for rising juniors in high school
1 fly-in program for 30 high school counselors from across the country

At in-person events, the Gummere Fellows are trusted in a variety of high-impact endeavors, notably:

Participating in student panels
Providing campus tours
Hosting admitted students in their residence hall rooms
Serving as content experts in many facets of the student experience (leadership opportunities, internships, off-campus study, athletics, etc.)

Despite the challenges confronting higher education over the last year, the College is pleased to announce another successful enrollment campaign for the current academic year. In late August, nearly 400 new first-year students and 90 transfer students joined the Forester Family. There is no doubt that the Gummere Fellows play an outsized role as student ambassadors in supporting the College’s ambitious enrollment goals.

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It was an immediate yes, because I loved how Spike made me feel when I was applying to colleges. I thought that if Spike was able to help me through the transition from high school to college, I would love to be able to do that for someone else.

Holly McHenry '18, on when she was asked to be a part of the first Gummere Fellows cohort

Advancement Impact

The Gummere Fellows played an integral role in supporting the Office of Advancement again this year by engaging with donors and alumni both through events as well as fundraising initiatives.

At Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, Fellows guided our Golden Foresters (alumni who graduated 51+ years ago) through a campus tour, and a Gummere Fellow helped Foresters locate the "I Like Spike" stop at Fan Fest so they could engage with Spike.

The Fellows also connected with alumni on Forester Day to showcase the strengths of Lake Forest College at the highest student level. Forester Day was a very successful giving day, with 1,650 donors raising $750,299. Included in this total were the contributions of 178 donors raising $79,406 for the Spike Initiative. The Fellows enjoyed being part of this day to encourage Forester friends and families to give back to the areas that create an impact on our Forester Future.

Professional Development and Campus Leadership

A central component of the Gummere Fellows program has always been to offer meaningful professional development support as Fellows prepare to transition into life beyond the College. This year fellows had the opportunity to grow both in professional development and in community engagement. Fellows were joined by James McGuinness, who specializes in training new staff in the start-up technology industry to gain insights into hiring and the entrepreneurship space. Fellows also donated their time to Bernie’s Book Bank in Lake Bluff.

In addition to the professional development opportunities afforded to all Fellows, seniors in the program are awarded a $500 professional development grant to be used at their discretion to support launching their careers as well as a one-year subscription to LinkedIn Premium. This year, all our graduating Fellows used the LinkedIn Premium subscription, and examples of how the development grant was used include: graduate school application fees, professional organization memberships, and toward the cost of a used guitar.

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The program is about making the good things that we have on campus even better. It’s great being more active in helping develop the College and getting funds and support to improve campus.

Emília de Paula Fonseca ’26, on her passion for her work as a Gummere Fellow

Recent Graduates

It was with bittersweet feelings that seven Gummere Fellows graduated from the College this May. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their service to the Program and wish them the best in the next chapter of their lives.

Margaret Bugnacki '25, business (Shorewood, WI) | Tax Associate at BDO USA in Milwaukee, WI
Kate Kiameh '25, politics (Germantown, TN) | JD student at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, TN
Finn Kraker '25, music (Stillwater, MN) | Pursuing master's degree at University of Liverpool in the UK
Rumbidzaishe Marufu '25, politics and biology (Harare, Zimbabwe) | Master of Public Health student at Boston University in Boston, MA
Chris Meza '25, communication (Chicago, IL) | Admissions Counselor at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL
Griffin Rowe-Cohen '25, environmental studies (Millbrook, NY) | Creative Director and Recruiting Content Coordinator at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI
Petra Urgacova '25, biochemistry and molecular biology and philosophy (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic) | Professional in the healthcare industry

Selection Process and New Additions

The Gummere Fellows program continues to occupy a highly regarded status among current students at the College, so the selection process has grown more competitive each year. The program received over 40 applications for just a handful of openings, and we are pleased to welcome the following new Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year: