On behalf of the Academic Advancement Program Alumni Network (AAPAN), congratulations on your much-deserved graduation! You have shown incredible resilience in the face of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent protests. It is a challenging time to say the least, but you have adapted to the environmental changes, persevered and succeeded. For that, we congratulate you and wish you tremendous success post graduation!
As you pursue your next chapter, we remind you that you are joining one of the largest and strongest alumni associations in the world and encourage you to take advantage of all the resources available to you through UCLA ONE. We are also very excited to take this opportunity to share information about the AAP Alumni Network, which is 48,000 alumni strong. AAPAN was officially launched as a diversity network in December 2021 in connection with the 50th anniversary of AAP. Our vision is to leverage the determination, success and passion of AAP graduates to establish an alumni network that furthers philanthropy for experienced alumni, offers professional development opportunities for recent graduates, and expands upon the academic and leadership excellence of AAP to support first generation professionals. As a new AAP alum, you can rely on AAPAN for valuable mentorship and networking opportunities in a supportive community, which is rooted in the values of AAP.
In the short time since AAPAN’s launch, we have held several virtual and in-person events to bring AAP alumni together. Examples of events include career storytelling panel discussions, a holiday networking mixer at the James West Alumni Center, an exciting Freshman Transfer Summer Program (FTSP) reunion where former FTSP graduates had the chance to reconnect while also meeting the newest FTSP students and the formal launch of our inaugural alumni mentorship program. This is just the tip of the iceberg for AAPAN as we continue to build out our network. We look forward to engaging new alumni volunteers to help us deliver on our vision. We have exciting opportunities for volunteers to engage in a deep and meaningful way and hope you will consider joining us on our mission to build a strong community for AAP alumni.
