Vaughn Hosts Spring Open House

April 9, 2011

A warm sun and near cloudless sky brought an engaging crowd to Vaughn College on Saturday (April 9) for the annual spring admissions open house. After a dreary winter, visitors got a chance to see the College in full bloom, or something close to it.

"It's a wonderful place," said Staten Islander Veronica Cuneo, mother of admitted student Nicholas, who couldn't resist the chance to visit the campus one more time before beginning mechatronic engineering studies in the fall.

"We came to our first open house here two years ago," Veronica Cuneo continued. "We came back and the admissions counselor even remembered our names. When we first came, they promised us they would be doing some things on the campus. We came back and they had them done."

Saturday's event began with a welcome and breakfast, after which the 240 or so students and their families were treated to a series of undergraduate information sessions followed by a series of "Ultimate Open House Experiences" that showcased the College's possibilities.

Potential students came from as far away as Everett, Mass. and Slidell, La., eager to experience Vaughn's engineering and technology-related programs.

In an air traffic control session, students were introduced to Vaughn faculty members, full-time controllers themselves. Potential engineering students were introduced to the range of options available to them, including mechatronic engineering, Nicholas Cuneo's choice.

"I love it; it's a new thing, a real 21^st-century program," the 18-year-old Cuneo said.

Samantha Martinez, a graduate of West Orange High School near Orlando, Fla., came for a second look at Vaughn's air traffic control program. A recent applicant, she relocated to Brooklyn to attend Vaughn as she works for JetBlue Airways.

"Vaughn offers me a lot of options," Martinez said. "It's one of the only colleges that will help me do what I want to do."

VAUGHN'S SPRING OPEN HOUSE: The event began with a welcome from College President Dr. John Fitzpatrick, top. Below, representatives of Vaughn clubs met with potential students while Professor Joe Zych described the inner workings of airplane engines. At bottom, Vaughn engineering and technology faculty chatted with potential students.