Homecoming 2025: A Reflection by Quinn Martindale
By Quinn Martindale ‘27, Editor-in-Chief; Edited by Kat Willson ‘26, Head Editor-in-Chief
It was a crisp September weekend when Ridley College welcomed hundreds of alumni for its annual homecoming season.
This year’s alumni were graduates from the classes ending in 0 and 5, showcasing decades of Ridley classes, all united by a shared love and connection to their alma mater. Homecoming is more than your standard “high school reunion,” it’s a collage of memories, an archive of school stories and spirit. It gives past students (some older than others) an opportunity to see how the school has changed and grown, and swap tales on what their unique Ridley experience was like. The festivities were grand, from the state of the college address and alumni dinners in the great hall to the excitement of the alumni soccer games, and down to simply tours of the newly renovated campus; there was no shortage of events.
Homecoming is so crucial in Ridley culture because it’s a living testimonial to what Ridley is - a place where memories are made, character is defined, and it’s always evolving and changing. It gives past students time to reflect on their time there and current students something to look forward to, as it shows how Ridley is something that stays with you long after your time at the school is done.
In the wake of the passing of a beloved Ridley community member, Brian Iggulden’s, class of 1967, memory was celebrated all weekend. There is something special about the alumni’s return to campus, the feeling of being with old friends, playing the sports they used to dominate, and walking the halls they used to spend their time in. The memories return alumni to another time in their lives, bringing nostalgia, fondness over time, and refueling one’s own connection to Ridley College.
Homecoming brings a strong sense of gratitude to alumni, for the past that helped shape them and for their school, which continues to inspire the next wave of Ridleians.
In the end, homecoming is mostly a reminder of the words we are told throughout our time at Ridley, “Once a tiger, always a tiger!”
