Natalie Karam recently won top prize in the inaugural Lost Alumni campaign by reconnecting with the University of Fraser Valley.
Karam, who graduated in 2001 with a bachelor of arts in child and youth care, went online and updated her information on the UFV Alumni Association’s database. She was entered into a draw for an iPad 3 and won.
Her experiences at UFV, prepared her well for a career working with children with special needs. Her schooling helped her qualify for a summer job with the Chilliwack Society for Community Living, providing care and activities for children with special needs. She has stuck with the same employer since, and is now Manager of Youth and Transition Services Services for the society.
Karam works with more than 100 families with children and youth with special needs, helping to arrange recreational, life skills, and employment opportunities for them. She keeps up her connection with UFV because many of the youth she works with transition into the TASK (Training for Attitude, Skills, and Knowledge for the Workplace) program at the university.
Karam was one of 400 out-of-touch alumni who reconnected with UFV’s Alumni Association as part of the Lost Alumni campaign.
“We have more than 30,000 alumni and are in contact with about 15,000 of them,” said UFV Alumni Engagement manager Nancy Armitage. “Alumni are a very important part of the UFV community and some of our best ambassadors, so we want to connect with as many of them as possible.”