Hello young alums! My name is Lindsay Gross Hege ’04, and I am the new assistant director of alumni relations for young alumni. I hope you enjoy your inaugural issue of Notes From The Nest, a special e-newsletter just for young alums. It features Elon news, young alumni events and ways for you to connect with each other. This newsletter is for you, so please send your feedback and story ideas to lhege2@elon.edu.

Here are some exciting ways you can get involved with other alums:

•Check out the founding members of the Young Alumni Council, the first advisory board at Elon made up entirely of young alums. Send a shout out to them about what you’re dying to see in young alumni programs and services.

•Join E², Elon’s new online social network, to receive alumni news and invitations to events. E², with 5,000 members, will have you laughing out loud as you reconnect with your freshman roommate, study abroad pal, or that old crush. Sign on today and add me as an E² friend!

•Do you miss your study abroad and service days? After much buzz about alumni travel, we are planning a young alumni service trip to Bay St. Louis, MS, for Katrina relief work May 23-27, 2008. E-mail alumnirelations@elon.edu for details.

Starting your own business is exciting, but it can also bring lots of heat! Just ask Candyce Marsh ’03, professional drag racer and owner of Candyce Marsh Racing (www.candycemarsh.com).

Candyce, the first African American woman to compete in a professional drag race, has 5 tips for starting your own business:

1. Network… Meet new friends and business associates by participating in community activities.

2. Invest in yourself... Be committed to lifelong learning. Remember you are one of your most valuable assets.

3. You don’t have to know all the answers… Surround yourself with people who are talented in their respective fields.

4. Have fun… Being a business owner is hard work yet rewarding. Spend time with family and friends, and allow the people who support you to share in your success.

5. Success is not instantaneous… Be diligent yet patient.

Meet Steve Morrison ’03…
who is serving with the Peace Corps in Bolívar, Peru, until 2008. He helps villagers build their small businesses, including a local fruit winery and clothing manufacturers that use vegetable fiber. Steve, pictured here at Machu Picchu, offers the following thoughts about life in Peru:

1. They’re not pets, they’re food: In Peru, ducks, chickens, turkeys, sheep, cows and goats are not cute, fluffy friends; they are dinner! The guinea pig is a Peruvian delicacy, and cats are eaten in some parts of the country, too.

2. You're gonna mess up the language: Conversing in a foreign language can lead to some funny moments, such as the time I told the president of the local Mother's Club I had no children…that I knew of.

3. Don’t sweat the petty things: In Peru, men get catcalls, too!

4. You'll become comfortable talking about anything: Stomach problems are discussed regularly among volunteers.

5. You’ll get used to it and it’ll be worth it: No matter what you experience, you’ll have memories that will last a lifetime.

The 2007-2008 year is off to an exciting start! See what Elon has cooking this fall:

•Check out Elon’s plan to go GREEN

• Catch a game on PhoenixVision, our new scoreboard and video board at Rhodes Stadium

• Read President Lambert’s address, and see how new alumni programs are part of his goals.

• Who says you can’t go home? Homecoming 2007: October 26-28! See you at our first ever Young Alumni Party on Friday night!

Haven’t been back to campus in a while? It looks a little different than you might remember. Check out the new Koury Business Center, located at the site of the former intramural fields. Have you heard we have a new School of Law in Greensboro? See how Elon Law has transformed the face of graduate education at Elon.

Aren’t you just a little jealous of the new digs for students at The Colonnades and The Oaks? Well, now you can marvel at the future while holding onto a piece of the past…by touring the amazing Oaks apartments at Homecoming, and picking up your very own Jordan Center siding souvenir! How awesome is this gonna look in your Elon scrapbook?