Dear Alumni,

It’s my honor and privilege to have been elected president of the alumni association of Vaughn College. With this title, comes great responsibility. Under my leadership I intend to maintain the current goals of the association, while linking the past to the present. I myself understand the importance of establishing a relationship with past graduates and current Vaughn students.

After I graduated from Vaughn in 2007, I went almost two years without a job in my chosen industry. I worked at Vaughn’s bookstore while I continued my job search. Morale was low until one day I was encouraged by an alumnus to attend an alumni meeting. It was at the meeting that I met Iaisha El-Tawil, who works as a manager for jetBlue’s crew services. Iaisha guided me through the application process in applying for employment opportunities at jetBlue. After a successful interview, I was hired as an in-flight scheduler a few days later.

The message of my story is that only through networking at the alumni meeting was I able to land my first job. Sometimes it’s a matter of who you know rather than what you know, and in my case, it holds true. Giving back financially is not the only way Vaughn graduates can contribute to the College. Attending social networking events and interacting with current students is just as valuable.

I plan to link the alumni association closely with the career development office and the student government association. These three entities combined will provide the best possible career opportunities for our students. I firmly believe if Vaughn students receive assistance that will lead them to their career path, they will in return contribute back to the College.

Iaisha and myself plan to include Vaughn College in social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace. In addition to the College’s website, www.vaughn.edu, these sites are accessed by many present and former students and will serve as a tool to connect alumni with the latest information. I also look forward to working closely with faculty and staff to strengthen our association. I encourage anyone to reach out to me directly at shauna.lang@vaughn.edu with any ideas and suggestions.