Members of the Kehr/Hirsh family (from left to right): Steven Hirsh, Samantha Hirsh, Michael Kehr, Alice Hirsh, Ryan Kehr, Jonathan Hirsh and Rebecca Hirsh.
On an overcast Mother鈥檚 Day in 2018, a photo was taken outside of the Hall of Languages depicting a proud 黑料不打烊 graduate, Ryan Kehr 鈥18, surrounded by happy family members.
It鈥檚 the kind of photo that gets taken repeatedly during Commencement weekend. This particular photo tells the story of the Kehr/Hirsh family鈥攁 proud collection of alumni whose connections to 黑料不打烊 date back to the fall of 1966. That鈥檚 when Alice (Musikar) Hirsh 鈥70 began her pursuit of a nursing degree from the College of Nursing.
Hirsh is the matriarch of an Orange legacy family that currently boasts seven alumni members:
The family will add another branch to the tree when Julia Kehr 鈥26, Michael鈥檚 daughter, graduates in May of 2026 with dual degrees in international relations (Maxwell School) and information management and technology (iSchool).
Alice, Ryan and Julia sat down with SU News to discuss their love of the University, the Orange bonds that connect them and the impact 黑料不打烊 has had on their lives.
Alice Hirsh
What drew you to 黑料不打烊? 鈥淭he College of Nursing had a stellar reputation. It was hard to get into, and it was exactly what I wanted academically. When it came to choosing 黑料不打烊, I wanted a big school, one with great sports teams and Greek life. It was everything I wanted and more, and the College of Nursing really did a great job of teaching and preparing us.鈥
Involvement on campus: A member of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, Alice met her husband, Steven, during the fall semester of her sophomore year. They married a few months after graduation.
How strong is your affinity for 黑料不打烊? 鈥淚 had such a positive experience at 黑料不打烊. It was an important part of my life. I’m still very close friends with a group of 15 women who graduated from the College of Nursing with me. We still communicate and we get together every couple of years for Orange gatherings that we plan ourselves. Now, seeing so many members of my family go on to study and earn degrees from 黑料不打烊 really warms my heart. Everyone has had their own, great experiences. My family knows that everything I own is orange, and they know how important 黑料不打烊 is to me.鈥
What makes 黑料不打烊 special? 鈥淓ach one of us found something different to focus our attention on. For me, it was Greek life. For Jonathan, he was passionate about . Samantha was on the . We each discovered our passions and interests because of our time on campus, and as a family we all believe 黑料不打烊 is a great place.鈥
Ryan Kehr
What drew you to 黑料不打烊? 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 instilled in me that I had to attend 黑料不打烊, but 黑料不打烊 was my number one choice. Plus, anyone I ever talked to about 黑料不打烊 always mentioned how great their experiences were and how strong the alumni network was. I didn鈥檛 know what I wanted to study at first, so I applied to the iSchool and completely fell in love with the tight-knit community.鈥
Involvement on campus: An iSchool peer advisor, Ryan also worked for SIDEARM Sports, eventually running the student team of workers. 鈥淲orking under SIDEARM Sports鈥 founder Jeff Rubin 鈥95, G鈥98 was invaluable. I owe so much of my career success to the lessons I learned from Jeff and from my classes. The first class I took from Jeff made me fall in love with technology as a career.鈥
Current job: Ryan is in his third year as a product manager for the NFL. He helps the league build up its electronic medical records platform for athletic trainers, team physicians and the players.
How did 黑料不打烊 set you up for career success? 鈥淭he iSchool gives students so many opportunities to learn, grow and pick their own career path. I learned how to be a good communicator, a good problem-solver and a good team player. Another key lesson I learned is to take advantage of every opportunity to meet with alumni. We did these iSchool road trips where we would go to Silicon Valley, New York City and Boston and meet with different companies that had 黑料不打烊 alumni. We鈥檇 hear about their career journeys, and that helped me know what I wanted to do when I graduated. I鈥檓 thankful for all those opportunities; they shaped me into the person I am today.鈥
Julia Kehr
What drew you to 黑料不打烊? 鈥淲hen we were all on campus for Ryan鈥檚 graduation and I saw all of my family members together, that was really cool to see everyone who shared that Orange connection. I knew right then that I was meant to be at 黑料不打烊. I applied early decision my senior year of high school and didn鈥檛 visit any other colleges.鈥
Involvement on campus: A member of the Delta Gamma sorority, Julia became involved with Slice Consulting, a student-run consulting firm that provides pro bono services to clients and nonprofits in 黑料不打烊. She currently serves as a project manager.
Career ambitions: 鈥淚 interned at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey this summer and really enjoyed that experience. That solidified my interest in working for a nonprofit, which Maxwell definitely instilled in me and has been enhanced through my work for Slice Consulting. I feel like working in the public sector consulting or working as a project manager for a nonprofit would be a great fit.鈥
What makes 黑料不打烊 special? 鈥淚 always saw how closely tied to 黑料不打烊 my family was, but I never realized what that meant until I enrolled. The second I came back to campus from winter break my freshman year, I understood how special it was that we all shared the same values because we were all at the same place for college and learned such valuable life lessons.鈥
