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Once a Titan, Always a Titan!

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Do you remember how you felt the first time you stepped foot on an EFSC campus? The first time you attended a class or visited the library? Were you nervous and unsure of what you were getting into? Those are the moments when you became an alum of EFSC (or BCC or BJC, depending on when you were here).

Whether you were earning a degree or certificate or just taking a few classes, attending EFSC was likely your first college experience. Some of you will finish (or have finished) your education here, and some of you will move (or have moved) on to various universities across the state or country.

No matter where your Eastern Florida education leads you, we’re proud of you! And that Titan Pride goes both ways; once you’ve complete your time at Eastern Florida State College, you automatically become a member of the Alumni Association.* You might say, “That’s great, but why do I care? What’s in it for me?”

The answer is that many benefits come from being active in your Alumni Association:

  • Developing Connections: Being a part of the Alumni Association can and will provide networking opportunities. This could lead to advancement in your career!
  • Staying Informed: You’ll receive emails and mailings about what is going on at EFSC. Open them! The college is growing and changing at a rapid pace. You’ll want to be a part of the community and keep abreast of new programs, college rankings, athletics, etc.
  • Expanding Your Skills: Did you know alumni have use of the Career Center for life? This is definitely something to take advantage of.
  • Helping Other Students: As you advance in your career, you can help current EFSC students by staying connected. Anything helps, from scholarship donations to providing internships for current students.
  • Influencing Reputation: Alumni engagement is one of the methods that reporting agencies use to rank colleges and universities. Increasing EFSC’s reputation increases the value of your degree!
  • Giving Back: You may think that alumni donations are only for rich people. That’s not true! You can give back to your alma mater with time, talent, and treasure by volunteering, sharing your knowledge and experience with current students, or donating money.

Many people are turned off by the idea of an alumni association because they think that all it does is ask for money. It’s true that you’ll receive correspondence in one form or another asking for donations, but don’t be too quick to shut the idea down. Donations don’t have to be large to make a difference in someone’s life — EFSC has donors that give as little as $15 a year. The EFSC Alumni Association is part of a bigger department within the college called the Foundation, which strives to build futures, transform lives, and promote academic excellence at EFSC. A major part of the Foundation’s mission is to provide scholarships to students. Individual donors and corporate sponsors, no matter how large or small, all contribute to the cause. In short, it adds up!

If you’re interested, here are some easy ways you can give:

  • Attend events benefitting the EFSC Foundation (when it’s safe to do so, of course)
  • Give once a year (maybe your graduation year; $20.20 if you graduated in 2020, for example)
  • Purchase alumni merchandise
  • Talk to us about how your business can help students earn volunteer hours
  • See if your place of employment can offer internships to current students
  • Volunteer at alumni events (again, when it’s safe)
  • Honor a favorite faculty member with an award or other recognition

If you received a Foundation scholarship while you were at EFSC, we hope you’ll pay it forward by starting or contributing to a scholarship (maybe not right out of school, but definitely keep your alma mater in the back of your mind for the future). The most important thing is to keep in touch and build a relationship with the college. The rest can happen when you’re ready.

Remember the very beginning, when you registered for classes and were nervous about your first day? It probably seems like old hat now, and that is why you should be an active member of the Alumni Association. Dive in, and help others get to where to you are today!

*Alumni Association membership became automatic in 2019. If you graduated before then, join for free here.

Tonya Cherry
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