Vaughn is thrilled to announce its new roster of Vaughn College Student Ambassadors! Get to know them below, and stay tuned for more updates from our students!
Paolo Adragna ’19
“I plan to continue flying and to someday be a flight instructor, to teach future Vaughn College students who share the dream that I have and help them reach their goals of becoming a pilot.”
Paolo Adragna is a sophomore aircraft operations major from Long Island, who has achieved two of seven pilot certificates and is currently working on his commercial pilot certificate.
Christina DeLuca ’20
“I met Vaughn’s robotics team at a competition at my high school. Being able to interact with the team on such a personal level gave me the chance to learn more about Vaughn College and its exciting engineering programs.”
Christina DeLuca is a freshman mechatronic engineering major and a member of the Vaughn College Robotics Team. Christina recently attended the VEX Worlds robotics competition in Louisville, Kentucky where Vaughn College was named world champion.
Jonathan Hernandez ’17
“When you’re surrounded by people that have the same goals and motivation as you, everybody in that group becomes stronger.”
Jonathan Hernandez ’17 is a senior aircraft operations major, and the president of the Vaughn College Veterans Organization and student government association. A Navy veteran, Jonathan continues to help both veteran and civilian students make the most of their college experience.
Zoyla Martinez ’17
“I went to Vaughn’s open house and when I walked through the doors I knew immediately that this was going to be a perfect place to begin my journey toward a career in aviation.”
Zoyla Martinez is the first member of her family to go to college, and is working hard to achieve her goal of earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree. As an active board member of the Vaughn student chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives, Zoyla takes every opportunity she can to network with professionals and attend conferences, to help better prepare her for a career in the aviation industry.
Maia Rivers ’19
“I decided from early age that I would be an engineer, because I was always taking apart and putting back together anything I could get my hands on. Enrolling in Vaughn College just seemed like the right thing to do and ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Maia Rivers is a sophomore mechatronic engineering student. A captain of the tennis, cross country and basketball teams, Maia keeps active on campus and enjoys exploring New York City. As the first of her siblings to go to college, she hopes to set a good example for them and show them how wonderful a college experience can be.
D’Moi Rouse ’18
“Institutions like Vaughn, where we do things that seemed impossible only a few years ago, are the best places for someone’s imagination to take flight.”
D’Moi Rouse was born in Brooklyn and raised in the US Virgin Islands. He is active in the student government association, the music club, the Caribbean student association and is a supporter of the Vaughn chapter of the Women in Aviation International. A mechanical engineering technology major, D’Moi looks forward to using the skills he’s learning on campus to develop next generation devices.
This semester I had the opportunity to attend the Leadership Academy retreat at Frost Valley YMCA with other Vaughn students. In this program, 20 students are chosen to spend a weekend away, learning and developing our leadership skills. We participated in group and trust exercises to build morale and learn more about each other. What I really liked about this program is that it brings together so many people that may not have connected on campus otherwise. I developed great friendships while learning the importance of networking, decision making, problem solving, a positive attitude and self-motivation. Now we attend different workshops where the College brings inspeakers from diverse backgrounds in aviation, management and engineering. Because of the friendships I made in this trip, I attended a career fair in Tennessee with four other students from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). I met with so many companies and was able to talk with them and apply for internships and jobs. I will also be attending two more professional association conferences sponsored by Vaughn later this month. I encourage students to apply for this program the Leadership Academy because it’s one of the many things I love about Vaughn: They want students to develop as people, as well as in our academics so we can be ready for that dream job after graduation.
