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| October 2007 Newsletter |
| The American University of Paris Alumni Chapter of Greater Washington, DC (AUPDC) |
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 My dear fellow alumni: The focus of local AUP alumni gatherings over the years has been to catch up on each others' lives and to share and build new experiences together. AUP's unique nature means that there may be moments of our lives that don't really sync with those of others. That's ok. That's part of our unique history and of who we are. I find it adds a dimension and richness to an otherwise DC or US centered life. Our chapter will build on this interest in having fun together through continued monthly social gatherings and occasional special events like a July 14 gathering. I hope that you might also share my interest in strengthening the impact we can have for AUP students, the future alumni who will someday become part of our community. You could play an important role in making this happen by creating internships or job opportunities or making AUP aware of already existing opportunities. Maybe you loved AUP academics and could help advise potential students on matriculating [studying?] at the University. Others of you may be interested in working together to consider fundraising opportunities on behalf of AUP. If your main interest for now is to join us in social events, and you have fond memories of French history, culture, and cuisine, please help us stay tuned in to appropriate events in the Greater Washington area. Whatever you took with you, you can add. Be a part, take a part. And please join us on October 25 at Bistro LePic to tell us about what you would like to see from your chapter. Welcome. Bienvenue!
Sincerely yours,
Report of the AUPDC Chapter Interim Board of Directors The Board discussed how to attract alumni to the September 26 visit of AUP President Gerry della Paolera and Alumni Affairs Coordinator Holly de Montmarin. Members agreed to supplement Holly's email invitation from Paris with a message in this newsletter and phone calls when possible. The Board wrestled with whether to charge alumni for the cocktail/reception, in line with the practice of some AUP chapters around the country. They ultimately decided to rely on the gracious hospitality of AUP Trustee Gretchen Handwerger, who will host the reception. However, the Board underscored that such events are not cost-free, and that consideration should be given to charging alums a modest fee in the future. The Board expressed its desire to hold a General Membership meeting in the near future, perhaps in conjunction with a "Happy Hour" at an area restaurant (see Upcoming Events). The Board hopes to increase interest in the Chapter and boost alumni participation in monthly and special events, including a possible Holiday Day party in December. (Area alumni, please note that Peggy Montgomery encourages you to contact her with suggestions to help achieve Chapter goals to support AUP, build on our shared special experience of AUP, and recreate in some small way in the DC area the unique community we shared there.) One of the Chapter's most important ongoing activities is to facilitate and support AUP summer internships in the area. Judith Ogilvie, AUP Trustee and President of CHF International has arranged for two Master's level students to work with her firm. The Board would like to expand the program and find internships across a variety of organizations. Based on Judith's positive experiences, she encourages all area alumni to consider how they might either create an internship in their organization or agency or make AUP aware of existing internships. The Board agreed that fundraising to support AUP should be a priority in the coming year and that someone should be identified to spearhead this effort. (Please contact Peggy Montgomery if you would be interested in taking this on.) The Board hopes to meet again via teleconference before President de Paolera's visit.
Meet the Chapter's new Interim Treasurer At 17, he was accepted into Rotary International's Foreign Exchange program, which, one month after his 1996 high school graduation, sent him to Brisbane, Australia, where completed a 5th year of high school, lived with three different host families and began his romance with things international. In remembering this life-changing experience, Robert, says that while in Brisbane, "...I was exposed-for the first time in my life to students my age from other countries, mostly Europe, but also South Africa, Japan and Brazil. These were my fellow exchange student friends in Brisbane. Upon my return to the USA, I decided not to follow all of my Detroit friends to the University of Michigan, but rather to take six months off to work (a day job and an evening job in a factory) so that I could earn money for a six-month backpacking trip around Europe before starting college." He did not realize it at the time, but this was Robert's preparation for AUP! Starting in Spain, he visited almost every European country over the next several months, including most of Eastern Europe before those former Soviet-controlled countries were "discovered" by the masses. Of course he also visited France - and while in Paris he (as he says) "stumbled upon" AUP. Once at AUP, Robert majored in International Business and minored in Applied Mathematics, graduating in May 2002. While a student at AUP, he continued his international adventures with a semester "off" in Cusco, Peru and visited the Middle East, Burma and Cuba. His time in Paris was also varied. He lived in the 2eme and 9eme, taught conversational English, and worked as a TA at AUP. Robert moved back to Detroit after graduation and took a job at Daimler Chrysler providing dealership networking support for Quebec. He also earned a Masters in Business with a Finance concentration at Wayne State University, and went into business with his brother. However, the US did not hold him long. Soon he was off again on a trip that took him throughout West Africa, where he visited many friends from AUP! He also traveled to Cambodia and Vietnam ("intrigued by the food and the culture") and East Africa, where he successfully scaled Mount Kilimanjaro! Now, he says, "My passion for traveling to 'obscure' destinations and meeting the jovial folk in so-called 'impoverished' nations finally led me to Washington DC in February 2007. My goal was to begin work at an organization that works in the development arena, but while being able to utilize my finance background. I'm happy to say, that was a goal I was able to accomplish before the month was out." And now, Robert has also brought his zest for life and his "typical" AUP experiences to the Interim Board of the AUP DC Alumni Chapter, where has taken over from Rich Nagel as Interim Treasurer, and is helping to launch this initiative to connect and re-connect alums of all ages and experiences with AUP.
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Robert Poccia is "typical" of many AUP graduates because he definitely is not "typical"! He says, "I grew up in a suburb of Detroit, MI. Same house, same friends, same scene until I was 17." But then all that changed, and, unbeknownst to him at the time, he set upon a path that would lead him to AUP and to a commitment to international issues.
Matisse: Painter as Sculptor.
Fletcher's Boat Cove picnic area|
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