Enthusiasm High at Second of Vaughn's Fall Open Houses

November 19, 2011

Inquiring minds eager to know more converged on Vaughn College on Saturday (Nov. 19) for the second of the College's fall open houses.

More than 200 potential students and their families—some from as far away as Tennessee and California—were eager to educate themselves about all Vaughn has to offer. Russian-born Marshall Zinger came to explore the air traffic control program while Gilberth Cortez was excited about aviation maintenance management.

"I did a lot of research into different types of aviation careers," said Zinger, who is near completion of an economics degree at Brooklyn College and was interested in Vaughn's graduate program in airport management or a certificate program in air traffic control. "I am really curious to see how Vaughn can help me put these two elements, aviation and economics, together."

Zinger came with Brooklyn College classmate Ilya Vaysberg, who wondered how Vaughn might blend his interest in aviation with his degree in television and media studies. "I want to see if I can do something here with technology," Vaysberg said.

Young or old, in college or high school, they all came to Vaughn on Saturday for a sampling of what the College has to offer. The 200-plus on Saturday put the two-day open house total at more than 420, by far the highest number in Vaughn history.

Introductions and academic sessions in a host of degree programs began the day. Dr. Paul LaVergne, chair of the arts and sciences department, enlighted the engineering and technology session when he described the College's unique learning communities program, in which same groups of students take seemingly unrelated classes together.

"Traditionally, there wasn't much interaction between unrelated classes," he said, "when, in fact, they had a lot to do with each other, and students get to see those similarities."

The day continued with raffles and seven open house "experiences," in which potential students could see practical application of their degree endeavors. Brandon Melendez, a student at Aviation High School, was thrilled to win the raffle for free flight lessons. "I can't wait to take the lessons," he said. "This is great; I love flying."

Potential new students also were introduced to Vaughn clubs and athletics. But the majority of interest was reserved for Vaughn's academic programs. Cortez was impressed with aviation maintenance and sees Vaughn as a bridge and more to a career he has targeted for at least five years.

"I've always known what I wanted to do," he said. "In today's economy it's very tough to find a good-paying job. Vaughn can help me."

THE SECOND OF VAUGHN COLLEGE'S FALL OPEN HOUSES featured, from top, several "Open House Experiences," including "Design Your Part" with Prof. Mudassar Minhas and potential students Chris Reyes (left) and Juan Roman; academic sessions, including aviation maintenance with Profs. Thomas Broschart (left) and Peter Bohn; club introductions, including the Robotics Club with Allen Wong; and raffles, where the big winner was Aviation High School student Brandon Melendez, who won a flight lesson.