Christy Cisneros Lagos ’98, MBA’20 grew up near Babson College but never envisioned spending so much of her life on campus. A graduate of the Dana Hall School, down the street in Wellesley, she first attended Providence College but missed playing sports, so she decided to transfer and return home to Babson, where she played soccer and lacrosse and then ran cross country during her senior year. In 2013, she returned again to Babson to work in alumni relations. Now, as the associate director of alumni affinity programs and annual giving, Lagos fittingly works directly with Athletics, as well as fraternity and sorority alumni and legacy families, to help alumni maintain their connection with the College.
The Q&A
How much did being a student-athlete impact your college experience at Babson?
“It really enriched the whole experience, at least for me, because being an athlete was part of my identity. You have this sense of pride being a student-athlete. You’re representing the College, and you create these bonds with these people, with the coaches, traveling with classmates and teammates. You become close to those people that you’ve gone through so much with. It made me feel a part of something bigger, like I am a part of Babson.”
Do you have a favorite memory from your time as an undergraduate?
“I am so proud of how far we’ve come. In the ’90s, we didn’t have turf fields, and we didn’t have the big stands in the middle. We didn’t have streaming video, so we really didn’t have a lot of fans back in the day. Our fans were our friends and occasionally our teammates’ parents that lived nearby. But I specifically remember for our lacrosse games, there was a group of guys who would watch our games, but they would carry their couch all the way from their dorm—five guys lifting this couch all the way up to the upper fields—and they put it down on the sidelines, and they would watch and cheer us on from the sidelines. It was just so fun, and it was like this tradition. I don’t know how long they kept that up. The other big memory was the team trips that we would take, some of our preseason trips that we would go together. I remember traveling to different games, on the vans, eating snacks or stopping for meals, just getting to know all my teammates. And all the times we would get up early and everybody else is still asleep on campus, and we’d be getting on a van at 7 a.m. to go to a meet or something. Those parts were the best.”
Did you ever sense that you would have this long-term relationship with Babson? What drew you back?
“No, I don’t think I ever saw myself working here. I’ve stayed in this area for a while and did actually go back to my high school down the street and worked there in admissions for a little while. I would often have to drive by here, and I’d be like, ‘Oh, Babson.’ Right before I came here, I co-owned an indoor athletic facility, focusing on baseball and softball. When I decided I was going to step away from my role there, I was thinking about the places I enjoyed. Babson immediately came to mind. I happened to be looking up available positions, and there was one working with Carol Hacker, who was my dean when I was here. So I went through the process, and I ended up back here. It was wonderful. I had the best first day at any place. They had flowers. They had a poster, ’Welcome Back to Babson,’ and everybody signed it. They rolled out the red carpet, and they were excited to have an alumna come back.”
How much has the College evolved from when you attended?
“I came back to a better situation and a better school. All of this work that we do is about building a legacy, and I want to leave the place better than when I found it. Over the past 12 years, it’s amazing. I can’t believe how much has happened since I’ve been here, and I love seeing that when alumni come back. I’ll often say, ‘Can you believe this campus, from when we were here?’ Just being able to see the excitement and pride and people has been great.”
As a student-athlete alumna yourself, do members of a sports team have a unique bond as alumni?
“Absolutely. I love working with them, because it does feel like that connection seems to really hold true forever. Once you’re a teammate, it’s a lifelong friendship. I love seeing that. We have hockey alumni from the ’80s that come back every year, and they celebrate together. When you see them together, you can see how they were when they were on a team together. It just feels like no time has passed. Also, a lot of our coaches have been here for decades, which really says a lot for the College. It really has allowed for these deep and long-lasting connections with alumni. A lot of coaches have been able to build that strong alumni network and connection. They will help find jobs for these students, and they bridge that gap. I help facilitate that to help coaches reach out to their alumni and continue these relationships.”
You also work with legacy families. What’s it like as an alumna to be able to work so closely with other Babson alumni?
“I was always proud to be a Babson alum, but working here, on a daily basis, I’m like, ‘Wow, this place is so special.’ Talking to these alums and hearing their stories, and the fact that some are sending all three, four of their kids here. Everyone will have their own experience, but there is this special bond. For the legacy families, we have a pinning ceremony the night before Commencement. It’s such a special night, because you see all these families that have chosen to just continue this experience. Again, it just makes me happy to do what I do. I love working with all these families and seeing how much they love Babson.”
