Appreciating Alumni Who Contribute Their Time and Talents

Alumni give back to the college in many ways. One is by sharing their time and their expertise. Whether by serving as a guest lecturer, participating as a panelist at a career workshop, representing Linfield at a college fair, coordinating an alumni event or allowing a student to spend the day job shadowing, alumni demonstrate the power of a small college for both students and other alumni. See just a few examples of alumni who have shared their time and talents this year.

Aaron Godfred '02
Though he lives in southern California, Aaron has donated a great deal of time to enhance Linfield. This will be the third year that he and his wife, Melody, have hosted a Welcome to the Alumni party for alumni in the greater Los Angeles area. Aaron also attended a Los Angeles area meeting to discuss Linfield's strategic plan and its affect on students and alumni. Furthermore, Aaron participated in a conference call with several members of the Institutional Advancement staff to talk about ways that social media could be better used to help him and others feel connected to his alma mater. The alumni profiles now found on the alumni webpage were a result of that conversation.

Kitri (Culbertson) McGuire '03
Kitri has been instrumental in terms of helping soon-to-be graduates who are ready to start their careers. Kitri has participated in Life After Linfield, spoken on a career panel, and she recently met with students for the Lunch on Us program. "I take a lot of joy in helping current students to define their own paths and think outside the box about the directions their passions can take them," said Kitri. In addition to her work with Linfield students, she has also volunteered at Linfield's Finest, and she orchestrated a donation of Leatherman and LED Lenser tools for the Linfield Outdoor Club. When she isn't helping Linfield students reach their potential, she loves spending time with her family and Golden Retriever outdoors, discovering new places through geocaching, reading, and cooking.

Nicole (Payne) Nowlin '99
Nicole credits Linfield for giving her the foundation to succeed in her profession. This is why she enjoys sharing her Linfield experience with others and promoting the college. In addition to her enthusiasm for promoting Linfield, Nicole has hosted a Linfield Professionals Network event at her place of employment, Cosgrave Vergeer Kester, LLP. She has also regularly attended the Life After Linfield dinners for graduating seniors, "I think it's very important (especially in this economy) for alumni to remind new grads that the Linfield alumni community is ready and willing to help as they enter the job market or make decisions regarding graduate school." Outside of Linfield, Nicole is very active in the Oregon State Bar and the Multnomah Bar Association. She also mentors new Oregon lawyers through the Oregon State Bar's New Lawyer Mentoring Program, and also serves on the Multnomah Bar Association's Equality and Diversity Committee.

Linh Tang '12
Although she is less than a year removed from Linfield, Linh has already been very helpful to the office of admission with college fairs and other recruitment-related activities in Bangkok and southeast Asia. Her assistance to Linfield can be directly attributed to the activities and clubs she participated in as a student. During her time at Linfield, Linh was involved with residence life, the Linfield Activities Board, and the Linfield Forensics Team. Activities are just a little of what makes Linh grateful for her Linfield education and why she gives back, "Having received such great support from Linfield network, I would like others to get what I get - a college life that is not only filled with academic growth but also professional and social growth."