A message from our President

Hello 4EKers,

Welcome to all of our new members and welcome back to all of our returning Knights!  We hope you had a fantastic summer and are ready for an action-packed 2010- 2011 school year.  We are extremely honored to have you be a part of the organization and hope that you will utilize all of the benefits that are offered to you as a 4EK member.  This year we will be adding new events to the calendar and are very excited to get things rolling!  There are a total of 23 Ambassadors this year who are enthusiastic about making 4EVER KNIGHTS even better, for you and for the UCF community.  So please take advantage of every opportunity!  We are excited to have you as a part of this organization and look forward to meeting you.  Best of luck for the upcoming school year and GO KNIGHTS!

Sincerely,

Leah Maxwell

President

4EVER KNIGHTS Student Alumni Association

Alumni Shout-Out!

Our first Alumni Shout-Out is from our 4EK Advisor, Karen Monteleone.  Karen has always loved being a part of organizations, which is why she loves her job and working with 4Ever Knights.  In her high school years, she was president of her class, a band member, a community volunteer, and a swim instructor at the YMCA.  Karen always dreamed of becoming a television anchorwoman, but when it came to deciding which degree track she would follow at UCF she decided the advertising/ public relations program would present more opportunities than broadcast journalism.  After graduating in 2005 and working in several marketing positions, she came full circle to UCF as program coordinator and adviser for the alumni association.  Alongside her job, she worked up the ranks of the American Marketing Association's Central Florida Chapter, first by helping to coordinate events, then becoming vice president of marketing to eventually being president.  Karen said she came to realize she's doing what she loves: helping people.

Some great facts about Karen are:
- She was born in Pittsburgh
- Her family includes her husband, Anthony, and her miniature dachshund, Cooper
- Her education is a Bachelor's degree in Ad/ PR from UCF
- Her motto is "don't bite off more than you can chew"
- Basic business philosophy: It's important to take small opportunities, because they'll lead to bigger ones
- Greatest challenge in the workforce: realizing you can't make everyone happy
- Favorite part of the job: helping to connect students with alumni
- Best advice: find a mentor

Karen's office is located on the second floor of the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center on campus.  She's always up for a conversation and says "stop by any time!"
Karen can be reached at kmonte@mail.ucf.edu.

4EK Superstar!

Our current 4EK Superstar is our 4EK Ambassador President, Leah Maxwell.  Leah received her Bachelor's degree in social work and a minor in education from UCF in May 2010, and is now pursuing a graduate degree from UCF in Nonprofit Mangement.  She lives by the motto: "I'm just a girl who walks by faith, dreams big, & hopes to help change the world by helping someone in need one person at a time." Her passion in life is to help others.  She hopes to make an adventurous move one day in her life to perhaps somewhere in the northern United States, to experience a different culture.  She loves kids and hopes to pursue a career working with them,  but she doesn't have any exact plans on what organization she plans to work for one day.

Some awesome facts about Leah are:
-While at UCF she was a Patient Services Intern with the American Cancer Society
-She served as Relay for Life Team captain for 4EK Spring 2010
-She was Vice President of Campus and Community Involvement for 4EK 2009-2010 fiscal year
-She volunteered with Junior Achievement
-She was a nominee for the 2010 Jefferson Awards as UCF Student Volunteer of the Year
-She loves going to church, working out, playing and watching sports, and reading
-She is a huge family girl; her family and friends are her foundation and they keep her going 

Leah is such an inspiration to all of the 4EK Ambassadors and we are so glad she is our President.  She is a great person and is always open to talking if you have any questions.  We all hope that you get to see what a wonderful person she is by attending all of our events and functions this year!