June 28, 2020

Dear fellow VJTI Alumni,

I take great pleasure in welcoming you to the recently formed VJTI International Alumni Association, a formally registered 501(c)(3) organization in the USA. This new association is the result of dedicated efforts of several fellow VJTI alumni, the guidance of Dr. Dhiren Patel (Director, VJTI), Dr. Rohin Daruwala (Dean, Alumni Affairs), and Dinanath Kholkar (Member, Board of Governors) at VJTI, and the unwavering support of the leaders of the VJTI Alumni Association in India (Umesh Doshi, Satish Kazi, and Umesh Gupta).

I graduated from VJTI with a BE in Computer Engineering in 1991. My VJTI education is the bedrock on which my career was built. I am forever grateful to VJTI and dedicated faculty and staff for the strong foundation they provided. My son is a rising senior in high school. While exploring different college options for him, we were shocked by the exorbitant cost of college education in the United States. A 4-year bachelor’s program at a decent school costs upwards of $200K. The comparison with my own education at VJTI could not be starker. I got world-class education at VJTI practically for free! I chuckle when I think that the cost of my son's books was higher than the tuition for my entire bachelor’s program.

I have also seen first hand how alumni support has enabled the great educational institutions in the USA to thrive and maintain their competitive advantage. Over the years, I met with several alumni from the IITs who told me about the strong IIT international alumni network and its stellar contributions to the IITs back home. My personal experience and a glimpse of the value of strong alumni support inspired me to think about what I could do for my alma mater.

Conversations with my close friends and fellow VJTI alumni highlighted a similar desire among many. The shared love for our alma mater and a strong desire to make a difference inspired Tony Fernandes (Electronics’91), Kanaiya Vasani (Computer’91), Niranjan Dhomse (Electrical’89), Rahul Abhyankar (Electronics’91), and I to come together to form the VJTI International Alumni Association.

We have two main goals for the association: build a forum for VJTI’s international alumni to build strong connections with each other and create a channel to enable international alumni to give back to our beloved alma mater.

I invite you to join the VJTI International Alumni Association as a member and keep up with activities and events. Some of you may already be members of the VJTI Alumni Association in Mumbai. You are invited to join the VJTI International Alumni Association as well. VJTI alumni in countries outside the USA are welcome to join the International Alumni Association. However, at this time, the tax benefits for monetary contributions are only available to US residents who make contributions to the VJTI International Alumni Association. We are working closely with the VJTI Alumni Association in India to identify initiatives at VJTI that would benefit both from your monetary contributions and personal involvement through mentorship and guidance.

I want to end with an adaptation of the memorable quote from President Kennedy, “Ask not what VJTI has done for you, ask what you have done for VJTI”. Please join us, help us to spread the word, and participate actively in the alumni association. I look forward to working with all of you in building a strong alumni network here in the USA and around the world, and making a positive difference for VJTI back at home.

Best regards,

Rajesh Parekh