Whoever said, “there are no guarantees in life,” clearly was not familiar with Vaughn College’s dedication to the success of its students. The College’s impressive track record speaks for itself, with 99 percent of its graduates, 83 percent within their field of study, employed or continuing their education within one year of graduation. It’s all part of Vaughn’s commitment to preparing its students for their careers by providing a futureproof education. The Vaughn Guarantee takes it one step further.

Vaughn Guarantee

Preparation is key, and Vaughn is so confident that its curriculum prepares graduates for employment that it is offering a guarantee to eligible students who meet certain criteria*. Here’s how it works:

If a Vaughn graduate is not employed full-time in their field of study within one year of graduation, and conducting an active job search, Vaughn will:

• Provide reimbursement for one year of the graduate’s federal direct undergraduate student loan payments
• If a graduate who meets the criteria would prefer to enroll in the master’s program at Vaughn, they can do so without incurring charges for one year in lieu of receiving loan payments

Preparing the way

Ask any student and they will tell you that finding a great internship or finding a job after college is the ultimate goal. At Vaughn, students have the edge to succeed at both goals. The College has set the standard in excellence by enacting a collaborative effort between the students, activities and career services departments to ensure each graduate is prepared and has the resources they need to apply for available positions. Additionally, the faculty and staff are so knowledgeable in the fields of study offered, their special insights and exclusive industry connections may help create a path of success for their students.

Below are some examples of Vaughn students who are working this summer at exciting internships―and one student who landed his dream job.

Samantha Vitez

Vitez ’21 is a 31-year-old second-year mechatronic engineering major whose passion for cars led her from working as a car mechanic to enrolling at Vaughn College. Focused on finding a summer internship, Vitez said she worked with the team at Vaughn’s career services department to streamline and fine-tune her resume. She networked and conducted searches on her own until she ultimately discovered what she calls the “internship of a lifetime.” Vitez applied for a 10-week summer internship at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, to be part of the Project Formulation department, where she’ll be creating a strategy to help engineers migrate to a new suite of tools to use for future space missions. “I was so excited to hear I was selected for the internship position,” Vitez said. “I admit I was a bit intimidated when applying for it, but the team at career services gave me the encouragement and confidence I needed to apply to such a challenging position.”

Vitez has already secured an internship for the next two summers with the Department of Defense, where she will work for the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Michigan. Here, she will work with engineers to develop and design new armored vehicles. She was offered the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship by the DoD and a two-and-one-half-year full-time position with TARDEC after she graduates in December 2020.

More successful students leading the way

Like Vitez, Vaughn’s career services department helped two other female engineering students find exciting summer internships n their respective fields.

Vaughn seniors Kieri Watson ’19 and Jairo Chauca ’19, both majoring in mechanical engineering technology – aeronautical, will work in project management this summer at Harris Corporation, a defense contractor and information technology services provider, at the company’s Long Island, New York location. Working the business side of the engineering industry, they will be assisting the design team to help streamline the manufacturing process as well as learning how to incorporate the Lean Six Sigma principles.

Other great internships were also available this summer. Jacqueline Oricchio ’21, a mechatronic engineering major was selected by Rolls-Royce to work in Indiana to help support the design team that builds turbines in engines. Her additional duties will include working in an administrative role and coding for Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs.)

Landing a job before graduation is every student’s dream. For one Vaughn student, that dream became a reality. Working consistently with career services and setting several job search appointments, Rohit Agarwal, an airport management student, was hired by San Francisco International Airport (SFO) months before his graduation as an airside operations coordinator.

Career services weighs in

“At Vaughn, we all work as a team to ensure our students are fully prepared to enter the workforce,” said Sean Manning, internship coordinator and graduate assistant for career services at Vaughn. He explains how Vaughn is committed to leading students to their career by using its industry resources and finding internships and jobs that are in line with their fields. “We are proud of our 97 percent placement rate,” said Manning. “Now, with Vaughn’s Guarantee, our students can be even more confident their careers will be futureproof.”

If you’re looking for an education that will stand the test of time, schedule a visit and come meet the team who can help guide you towards a brighter future.