Another easy idea...

We have a young woman in our stake who is extremely brilliant and has offers from ivy league schools. Her parents are very proud of her, and despite the other offers, still would love for her to attend BYU-Idaho. So we got involved!

I called her and asked her what she was looking for in a university. She named four things: 1. affordability 2. "not too bad weather" 3. small student to teacher ratio and 4. good music program

I smiled over the phone and said, "Well, I can help you with three out of four" haha Long story short, I ended up making a phone call to the music department asking for a junior/senior student who is majoring in music so that she could answer this girl's questions and it worked out beautifully. THe music department was very willing to work with me and gave me a name immediately. Then I called the student myself and was so glad to hear her excitement to help and not only that, but hear her love for BYU-Idaho and the music program.

It was a simple gesture, but I am sure the student here in San Jose will be touched because of it.

BYU-Idaho Info Nights

As of now, we have FIVE BYU-Idaho Info Nights set up in the California East Bay area!!!

We are very excited to do these one-hour long interactive, fun presentations. If any of you are interested in attending one of our Info Nights to see how we are doing them--or to participate in them with us--we'd love to have you there! The events we have schedule so far are:

Tues April 21 Morgan Hill/Gilroy
Wed April 22 San Jose
Wed May 13 San Jose
Wed May 27 San Jose
Wed Sep 9 San Jose

If you are interested in details of time and location, please email us at losvelasco@gmail.com

Christine and Francisco Velasco
San Jose, CA

Heber J. Grant Scholarship

Hello fellow BYU-I Alumni Ambassadors! I am Christine Velasco, your regional representative. I started just like each of you--with a desire to share the excitement about BYU-Idaho to those who live in my area and now we have the privledge of getting a polo shirt and some pass-along cards to make us look more official! :)

Today I had an "Aha! Moment" and thought I'd pass it along to you. Today's plug is for the Heber J. Grant Scholarship at BYU-Idaho. Please check it out at www.byui.edu/heberjgrant. This scholarship seeks applicants who:
have low income,
whose parents who didn't graduate from college,
were raised in a single-parent home,
whose parents are not active LDS members,
were raised in an area where few attended college,
or have overcome other long-term disadvantages.

The "Aha! Moment" came when I realized that anybody as young as 13 years old can apply for this scholarship. What a brilliant idea! Once these young students are accepted for the scholarship, they are eligible for individual advisement in admissions, financial aid, and contact from current students, alumni (like you and me), until they are old enough to actually apply to BYU-Idaho. They still have to apply and be accepted to BYU-Idaho, but imagine the difference this can make in a teenager's college planning knowing that they already have a scholarship waiting for them IF they keep their grades up, continue attending seminary, etc.

So my PERSONAL VISION FOR 2009 is to find FOUR youth in my stake and help them apply for the Heber J. Grant Scholarship.

I have typed up the HBJ essay questions on a separate word document. If you would like them, simply email me at losvelasco@gmail.com and I will pass them along. This way the youth can prepare their answers before actually going online and applying for the scholarship.

We have a unique opportunity to be sharing the excitement of BYU-Idaho with these youth. Now, more than ever, we need to be enlightening them on the benefits of having a solid education to back up their marketable skills.

Sincerely,
Christine Velasco, San Jose, CA

Resources for Alumni Ambassadors (from Audrey Martinez Midwest Region Area Rep)

In the process of learning what our roles are as Alumni Ambassadors I have come across some valuable resources that might help make your job more effective. First, if you are planning to host a BYU-Idaho event in your stake, whether it be an information night, fireside, etc, please contact the BYU-I Admissions Office Area Representative for your state. Your representative has access to the official printed materials, pamphlets and catalogs you might want to use at your event.

To find the Area Representative for your respective state please click here. They also enjoy knowing what is going on in each state and how BYU-Idaho's name is being received. Also, if there is anybody in your stake even remotely interested in attending BYU-Idaho please direct them to this website: http://www.byui.edu/prepare/. This is new website developed specifically for prospective students trying to get a feel for what BYU–Idaho has to offer them. Finally, there are BYU-Idaho Student Ambassadors assigned to your area, who are current BYU-I students that have volunteered to connect with prospective students and help them get a student’s perspective on BYU–Idaho.

You can contact your Admissions Area Representative to find out the name and contact information for these student and how they can help you in talking with prospective students. Some of us haven't been on the BYU-Idaho campus recently and this might be helpful in informing potential students what Rexburg and BYU-I are like today.

An Idea form the Midwest Region -- Pass along your Scrolls

Derek and Audrey Martinez, AA Regional Reps in the Midwest Region mentioned that they pass along their weekly copy of the Scroll to youth in the ward and stake who may have some interest in BYU-Idaho. What a great way to bring up BYU-Idaho in conversations with young people and to get more mileage out of your weekly Scroll mailing.

Thanks Derek and Audrey

Welcome and a Request for Introductions

Welcome to the new blog for BYU-Idaho Alumni Ambassadors in the West Region. Francisco and Christine Velasco are your regional reps and they, along with Val Carpenter of the BYU-Idaho Alumni Relations Office, stand ready to help you in your role as Alumni Ambassadors.

To get this blog started of right, please take a few minutes to introduce yourselves. Just some basic information and perhaps information about your time in Rexburg. Also, if you are a blogger, we would love to have a link to your personal blog.We have made this blog private for security purposes.

We will be passing on some of the great ideas we learn from you to the other regional blogs and even share them with all Alumni Ambassadors in our monthly news letter.

Also, please take a few minutes to vote on our poll below. We are looking for a new name for our Alumni On-Line Community.