We've all got our reasons

The Young Alumni Council came up with a great idea to celebrate their Lehigh connection—a Web site they launched last month, called Because …, I encourage you to check it out.
Quite simply, Because … is about telling our Lehigh stories. The site provides alumni with the opportunity to share their stories, photos and video, proclaiming to the world why they love Lehigh, and why they support their alma mater. Alumni have posted more than 100 stories since the site launched, and they have some compelling reasons!
Here are some of my favorites:
Sumona Basu '06: “Tradition is what makes Lehigh what it is, and I would like to carry it on.”
Joe McGrath '04: “My family was never so proud as they were the day I was the first in my family to finish college … I would love to provide for the future generations of Lehigh students — and hopefully build a family legacy of my own.”
Nicole Parisi-Smith '00 supports Lehigh “so that accepted students can choose their college based on things other than financial aid packages.”
Alissa Thomas '02: “Lehigh is in large part responsible for who I am today, and I want to make sure those behind me have all the same opportunities I was afforded as a Lehigh student.”
And Karen Fischer '99 supports Lehigh because: “It will always felt like home.”
Do any of those strike a chord with you? Read some more great reasons, and take a look at the photos that go along with them. And while you're there, share some reasons of your own!
I especially want to thank the Young Alumni Council for the opportunity to talk about everything Lehigh has meant to us—one of my favorite topics of conversation. To all of you who do put your money where your mouth is, thank you for your support—no matter what your reasons. And if you haven't given recently, Because … is the perfect opportunity to do so; just click on the “Give” button, and then make your reasons known.
There's something else you can do. It's the home stretch for our senior class—remember how that felt?—and they're getting ready for the next phase in their lives, whether that be graduate school, an internship, or the intimidating leap into their first real job search. Many Lehigh alumni are likewise considering a career change and pursuing new opportunities.
Can you help? Do you know of a job opportunity or an internship? Have some connections you're willing to share? Have some advice you'd like to impart? The Lehigh family is a tremendous talent pool, as you well know. If you're in a position to be a resource, please log into the Experience Alumni job listings Web site; join the Lehigh Alumni group on LinkedIn; or contact Career Solutions for other ways you can help.
And as always, if you've got some ideas for how we can better serve you and the Lehigh alumni family, I'd love to hear them.
Robert W. Wolfenden
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations