WELCOME LETTER

April 29, 2023


Greetings SAANA Alumni!

We hope this letter finds you well. On October 22, 2022, a new chapter of SRKREC Alumni started in North America and we call it SRKREC Alumni Association of North America (or, fondly as SAANA) Inc. has been initiated to engage those who are living in USA, Canada, and Mexico. The landscape of SRKR Engineering College is ever-changing. We are relatively considered as "young" alumni to "traditional" alumni. Many of us are well-established in our careers, got married, and started families. Some are already beginning to plan or have already planned their children's futures. With that comes the added responsibility of making sure institutions can continue to provide quality education at a price that most can afford. We would like to take one step back to go down memory lane, as many of you are aware, SRKR Engineering College was inaugurated back in 1980 and the first batch to come out was in 1984. Since then, several thousands of students have graduated and spread all over the world serving in various public and private sectors. With advancements in Information Technology and the opportunities that came along with it, several SRKREC alumni migrated to North America, especially the United States. We believe that there are more than three thousand SRKREC alumni living across North America. We thought it is a good idea to bring everyone under one umbrella through a community forum and share our experiences from the past to the present. We are surprised to know that there are a few SRKREC alumni from the very first batch ('84) currently living in the USA. Obviously, there's been a generational change since college inception.

We set up a SAANA LinkedIn group late last year with great success. More than 700 members joined so far and we hope this number continues to rise in the coming months. We hope many of you are part of this professional network, if not please do join by making a request. It is a private group and restricted to those who are living in NA only. There are several updates we would like to share in the coming weeks. In our last meeting, held virtually on February 4th, 2023, several key milestones we achieved including approving bylaws, adopting conflict interest policy, electing board directors, appointing officers for executive office, and several resolutions were passed. We reached several key milestones, we are planning on achieving the following list:

  • Incorporated SAANA and then registered SAANA as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
  • Completed and adopted Bylaws, Conflicts of Interest policy, and Articles of Incorporation to form SAANA
  • Launched the website and Mobile App (future)
  • Setting up an Email Group (strictly, no spam)
  • Social Media Engagement


For those of you who wish to meet fellow alumni, enjoy catching up with friends at special alumni events, and are interested in becoming more involved with our alma mater, please consider these fun upcoming events!

SAVE THE DATE


Our alumni members will meet on Saturday, May 27th, 2023 Alumni & Family Meet at NATS 7th Telugu Sambaralu 2023 in New Jersey Convention & Expo Center, Edison, NJ. NATS has a 3-day Bi-annual meet, but our Alumni meets on Saturday, May 27th.

As SAANA alumni, it is our duty to help change the way the world works, in other words, giving back to society. One of the many ways we can do this is by joining as a life member, a one-time membership fee of $100 is expected from all alumni members, and details on how you can contribute will be on the website.

Also, there are other ways you can contribute by making a gift to the SAANA fund. Our gifts – no matter the size – support academic and research scholarships, program and department initiatives, and other priorities (financial support to underprivileged students back in India). SAANA is a volunteer-based and non-profit organization, primarily to enrich and enhance all the alumni and SRKREC students as well as faculty. Some areas of focus include Career Counseling and Guidance, Educational (college) Counseling and Guidance, Matrimonial Services, Social Wellbeing Activities, Life Events Planning (Insurance, Wills, College Tuition, etc.), Supporting Alma Mater, and of course, Professional Networking. Additionally, we will be considering Technology Seminars, Financial Investment Opportunities, Leadership Mentoring, Educational Scholarships, Identify and Support Charitable Organizations both in the USA and India. This type of civic engagement would not have been possible without the Fund and the alumni who support the Fund.

Finally, before we conclude this letter, we would be remiss if we did not take a moment to thank Dr. M. Jagapthi Raju garu, Dr. G.V. Padma Raju garu, current SRKREC Alumni Association of India Dr. V. K. Viswanadha Raju garu and Dr. M. Suresh garu for their continued support and all the help given in engaging with Alumni. Their dedication to the Alumni Association and our alma mater is to be commended.

We hope you all enjoying the spring season and looking ahead to summer and the busy season of travel. If you are planning a trip to India, you take some time to drop by the campus to bring back some fond memories and look at the progress the college has made since your departure.

Sincerely,
Executive Committee of SAANA