We are privileged to be alumni of the Kennedy School of Government. Not only can we look back on our student experience with fondness, but we also have a worldwide community on which we can rely during important and sometimes trying times. I understood this more fully following the awful events of September 11. Having seen what transpired on that day, I felt a real need to reconnect with my classmates and friends for support and to attempt to make some sense of what happened. I wanted to do something to help, but from my home in Tokyo, Japan, I felt so far removed.

I decided to use the opportunity of the Public Service Celebration to return to the school. More than 300 were on hand for this annual fall event. It gave me comfort to see many of my old friends, but more important, to learn about the wonderful things that the school does that are so vital during these difficult times.

Alumni Programs Director Betsy Myers MPA 2000 led off the evening with a tribute to the three from our community who were victims of the terrorist attack. Dean Nye spoke of the important work that the Kennedy School had undertaken in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, including convening a series of panels on terrorism, as well as many op-eds and television appearances by KSG faculty to help educate the community and public. He also announced a new fellowship inspired by Jack Fanning’s bravery and in honor of other public service workers who were killed as a result of the terrorist attacks. The New York City Fire Fighters and Police Officers Public Service Fellowship will be awarded each year to an emergency and public safety worker who is admitted to the school. Maureen Fanning accepted the honor on behalf of her late husband.

We also celebrated the successes of five of our outstanding achievers. Honored as Alumni Achievement Award winners were Barbara Roberts S&L 1989, who was the first woman to be elected governor of Oregon; Anne Reed MPA 1981, a pioneer in the integration of technology and government; and the Honorable Douglas Bereuter MCP 1966, MPA 1973, who represents the state of Nebraska in the U.S. House of Representatives. Also showcased were two up-and-coming alumni who were bestowed with the newly created “Rising Star” award. Brett Peiser MPP 1996 has successfully created a charter school in Boston that has been notable for its academic achievement. Claudio Orrego MPP 1995 has used technology as a tool to effect social change in his native Chile, including the development of a viable information structure for a poor community in Santiago where he served as councilman for the Commune of Peñalolén.

Harvard President Lawrence Summers concluded the event with a call to action for those of us in the Kennedy School and larger Harvard community. “There is a special nobility, a special grace to those who are prepared to sacrifice their lives for our country,” he said, speaking of the value of those who serve in uniform, both in the military and public safety.

Coming home to the Kennedy School during this emotional time was inspiring. And while it is nice to come home from time to time, it is important that we keep the school spirit and energy alive in our own communities. We have alumni regions all throughout the world. The Alumni Programs Office is doing many wonderful things to keep us connected, with our new Web site and the many events that it organizes. But we must also take it upon ourselves to build organizations in our geographic areas that enable alumni to get together. In a new world where our leadership and our expertise will be called on in ways that we never could have imagined, we must rely on our Kennedy School community — both in Cambridge and where we live — for the support and encouragement that will lead us forward.

Yoko Makino MPA 1999 currently runs the Yoko Makino CPA Firm, based in Toyko, Japan.