Each year one undergraduate member of that year’s graduating class is selected to serve as a young alumni trustee—a full voting member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust for a term of four years. In 1968, Vanderbilt became the first university to institute this tradition.
The selection process, coordinated by the Alumni Association, includes a nominating committee of current juniors and recent graduates who are selected by key university administrators, deans, faculty and staff. Members of the senior class nominate candidates, and the committee reviews the nominations and selects three finalists. The junior class, senior class, and the most recent graduating class then vote to elect that year’s young alumni trustee.
At any given time, four young alumni trustees are serving on the board of trust. We are pleased to introduce those who are currently serving.
Ayo O. Ositelu, BE’09, of Indianapolis is the newest young alumni trustee. With double majors in biomedical engineering and mathematics, he is continuing his studies at the graduate level at Cornell University. Ositelu was a Chancellor’s Scholar at Vanderbilt, which gave him the opportunity to study abroad in Berlin. He tutored students at Kipp Academy in Nashville and volunteered for literacy programs.
Elizabeth Bennett, BS’08, double majored in human and organizational development and economics. After graduation she worked briefly in the Office of Presidential Correspondence at the White House and currently lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she is the business training coordinator for a small nonprofit dedicated to poverty alleviation. At Vanderbilt she was an active volunteer for several humanitarian organizations.
Andrew M. Wilson, BA’07, majored in both neuroscience and mathematics at Vanderbilt and is now enrolled in the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Active in many honor, fraternal and service organizations while at Vanderbilt, Wilson serves as treasurer for Alternative Spring Break and says he hopes to elucidate the biological basis of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alice Ji, BS’06, majored in engineering science with minors in management of technology and economics. She currently is a consultant with Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company in Washington, D.C. Involved in many service organizations while at Vanderbilt, she also devoted a great deal of time to the orientation of incoming students. As a junior she was awarded the Nora C. Chaffin Scholarship, which recognizes service to the university in student government, religious, literary and scholastic activities.
The young alumni trustees may be contacted through the Vanderbilt Alumni Association at alumni@vanderbilt.edu.