I was recently appointed as the president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Worcester for the year 2015/2016.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Worcester was founded in 1906 to increase fellowship opportunities for Harvard alumni in Worcester and Central Massachusetts.

As I begin my term for the 2015/2016 season, I invite all the alumni in the area to join and become active members of the club.   In 2014/2015, the club hosted a number of gatherings and good times were shared by all.  The club board worked hard to provide a range of events that appeal to a diversity of interests.

The club has number of great events planned for the coming months. There are two exciting events scheduled in October:

(1)   Family-friendly apple picking, picnic, and wine tours at Nashoba Valley Winery on Sunday, October 4^th at 10:30 a.m.

(2)   Fall Cocktail Party and recent graduates “Welcome to Your City” event on Tuesday, October 27^th  at 5:30 p.m. at Bocado Tapas Wine Bar.

In November, we will cheer on the Harvard Crimson Men’s Basketball Team as they take on the Holy Cross Crusaders at the Hart Center in Holy Cross (Sunday, November 29^th at 1:00 p.m.)

In December, we’ll have our annual Harvard Club Holiday Dinner at Wachusett Mountain;   in January, we’ll have our Harvard Alumni Global Networking Night at the Worcester Club;   in February, we’re going on a trip to the newly renovated Harvard Art Museums; in March, we’ll cheer on the Harvard Crimson Men’s Basketball Team;  in April, we’ll do community service in the Worcester area;  in May, we’ll have our family-friendly brunch at the Green Hill Park; and finally, in June, we’ll hold our annual meeting and election of officers.

In addition to club events, we have an active Schools and Scholarships Committee that assists the Harvard Admissions Committee by interviewing local candidates for admission and offering networking opportunities and support for Central Massachusetts students attending the College.  The Committee also administers the Harvard Book Award, given to outstanding juniors at local high schools.

If interested in any of these events, please email me at jonas.palencia@alumni.harvard.edu.

On June 7, 2012, the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Worcester held its 106th annual meeting and dinner at the Beechwood Hotel. The event was well attended and was very successful. The keynote speaker, Frederick Eppinger, CEO of Hanover Insurance, gave a very interesting speech on the current improvements and the future plans for the City of Worcester.

During the meeting, I was asked to serve as the secretary of the club and I gladly accepted the role. In fact, I am very excited to serve along with an excellent company of officers. I look forward to very fun-filled and successful events.

I have been an active member of the club for the past couple of years – joining sporting events to cheer on the Harvard Crimson football, basketball, and hockey teams; serving dinner to kids at the Worcester Boys and Girls Club during the Harvard Community Day of service, and many others. News and pictures of the past events can be found here.

If you are an Harvard alum living in the Worcester or Central Massachusetts area, and want to get involved or network with fellow alums, please join our club events  or contact any one of the officers.

Two years ago I was asked if I would like to interview students applying for admission to Harvard College in Worcester, MA area. As an Harvard alum, I was glad to volunteer to interview four to six applicants during the admission period (October to March).

The qualities of the applicants I interviewed are very impressive – excellent academic grades, lots of extra curricular activities, and great personalities. But I realized that not all of them will get accepted. In fact, with 6% acceptance rate (only approx 2,000 out of over 33,000 applicants get accepted), getting into Harvard College is a tall order. Only the best of the best are accepted.

I knew it will take a long time before I get to interview that person who will make it to Harvard College, if at all. But last winter, I was lucky to interview a very promising applicant. True enough, she got an acceptance letter. I was very happy when I learned about it. Congratulations Taylor Benninger of Spencer, MA!