The Light - An Alumni Publication Fall 2014 | Page 4

Letter from the President
Dear YFU Alumni:
When Dr. Rachel Andresen founded YFU in 1951, she did so under the backdrop of
World War II. Dr. Andresen speaks eloquently in her diaries about the day that the lights went back on
in Amsterdam, the result of massive reconstruction of a ravaged city. “We must never let the lights go out
again,” she was quoted as saying. YFU, in many ways, is founded on that premise – if we bring people of
different cultures together, increased understanding has the best chance at preventing war.
It is within that spirit that we title this, our new alumni magazine, The Light. We think it not only honors our
founding principles but also our most fervent hope for the future.
YFU has been a mainstay of intercultural exchange for close to 65 years, but we haven’t always done
a good job at keeping in touch with our 50,000+ US alumni. One of my main goals since becoming
President & CEO some 16 months ago was to rectify that error, and this magazine is one way we hope to
stay in touch.
Please purview the content of these pages, which herald the accomplishments of our incredible alumni. We
hope you enjoy reading about:
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the return of our national headquarters to Washington, DC
a retrospective of “Rachel’s Story”
news and notes from around the nation, as well as alumni chapter notes, and updates about alumni
near and far
profiles of some of our successful alumni, including the new US Secretary of Health and Human
Services and a celebrated journalist/former State Department leader
an interesting history of the YFU Chorale, and
blogs from current participants (and future alumni!)

In addition to these features, we’ve created a forum for YFU alumni to share their own talents with poetry
and creative writing, submissions to topical blogs, and passion for wellness.
Th