The Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School Alumni Office is excited to announce the launch of the newly formed VASJ Young Alumni Association (YAA)! A committee-based alliance, the YAA focuses on three key areas: Events and Engagement, Service and Leadership, and Development. Each committee is led by a chair and co-chair who work alongside their respective committee members and the Alumni Office. With special events and programs geared toward the interests of VASJ’s young alumni community members, the association serves to build and sustain relationships with recent graduates to keep them connected with their beloved alma mater.
The idea for starting the association came after several brainstorming sessions with three motivated recent grads, Alison Sukys Roach ’15, Carlie Beard ’16 and Patrick Bradford ’19, who now serve as chairs of the YAA committees.
“After speaking to Alison, Carlie and Patrick individually, it was clear that each of them was passionate about getting more involved at VASJ and inspiring other young grads to do the same,” said Cheryl Stashinko ’03, VASJ Director of Alumni Relations.
Recognizing the shared mindset of the alums, Stashinko invited them to a meeting to further brainstorm how VASJ can better engage young graduates. “It was clear even after our first group discussion that something important was happening,” Stashinko said. “Ideas began to mesh seamlessly, and we all realized something felt right about focusing on our young alumni.”
After researching other similar associations and thinking critically about the interests and needs of VASJ’s young alumni community, the three committees were drawn together and formed. The small group also worked through how they would define “young alumni” for the purpose of engagement and outreach.
“It was important to define who our ‘young alumni’ are when we were focusing on initiatives,” Stashinko explained. “Everyone agreed that the YAA would not only serve to connect young alumni with the school but also with each other through peer-to-peer mentoring at pivotal times in one’s life.”
Any VASJ graduate who is aged 35 or younger is automatically a member of the association. In serving this specific range of graduates, the YAA looks to engage and serve alumni through young adulthood as they begin college, careers and setting their own paths. To learn more about the VASJ Young Alumni Association, click here.
Since the YAA is newly formed, committee chairs are looking for other passionate young grads to join their committees and begin rolling out events and other special young alumni-focused initiatives. If you’re interested in joining a committee of the YAA, contact Cheryl Stashinko ’03 at 216-481-8414 ext. 254 or [email protected].
Follow the YAA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to learn about upcoming events, programs and featured young alums!