Admissions Ambassadors  | Alumni volunteers aid multicultural recruitment

By David Fitzpatrick '83

Each year, Cornell's admissions community works to enroll a diverse and talented class of students, with particular emphasis on the recruitment, enrollment, and support of multicultural students. With more than 6,900 alumni volunteers, the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) provides valued assistance in meeting the University's objectives. "CAAAN provides Cornell with another opportunity to reach out to prospective students around the world," says Kyle Downey, associate director of admissions and coordinator for alumni volunteer programs. "This outreach is particularly helpful as Cornell intensifies its efforts to recruit students from geographically and culturally underrepresented populations. Having local alumni who can speak with interested students and address their unique concerns provides an important and complementary service to the work of the admissions staff."

The cooperative relationship between CAAAN and the admissions staff is exemplified in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Prince George's County, Maryland, where Darlene Wright Powell '81 has helped implement the admissions office's multicultural recruitment efforts in a community with many students of color. After graduating from the ILR school, Darlene earned a law degree and now runs her own practice. While balancing the demands of work and family she has committed significant energy to CAAAN, first joining her local committee eight years ago and quickly rising to its chairmanship. Under her leadership the committee has doubled in size and does an outstanding job of sharing enthusiasm about Cornell and providing local contacts for prospective students. But the most gratifying part of Darlene's volunteer efforts with CAAAN comes when she is on campus--a regular occurrence with a daughter now enrolled in the Hotel school--and runs into students whom she helped to guide through the college selection process.

Connecting with students and parents through CAAAN is also gratifying for New York City-based attorney Annie Wong '77. As a high school student in San Francisco, Annie had her sights set on Cornell. Having emigrated with her family from Hong Kong only a few years earlier, she retained strong Chinese roots. Her dream of attending Cornell was tempered by a resistance to studying so far from her family, and a lack of guideposts for the oldest child of first-generation immigrants to navigate such a big move.

As chair of one of New York City's CAAAN committees for the past eleven years, Annie has met many students who have an interest in Cornell but face similar challenges, such as parents who do not speak English. She conducts contact sessions with applicants, which often segue into impromptu guidance meetings on topics related to the college admissions process. Annie has led the creation and organization of several programs, such as parents' panels and receptions for accepted students. Annie says she finds her Cornell volunteer involvement very rewarding. For example, when Asian parents seek her out after a panel session, she can share valuable insights and answer questions that might otherwise go unasked, due in part to the language barrier.

CAAAN comprises a diverse group of alumni all over the world, providing a vast range of experiences that help Undergraduate Admissions recruit brilliant, engaging students. Darlene Powell and Annie Wong are just two of the many dedicated CAAAN volunteers who use their backgrounds and experiences to continue Cornell's tradition of promoting a diverse community.

To learn more about CAAAN or to volunteer, please visit http://caaan. admissions.cornell.edu or call the Admissions office at (607) 255-5020.