Volunteer Spotlight: Tisha Young (B.S.’04)
Welcome to the last in a series of Q&As through the month of April that spotlight just a few of VCU’s most dedicated and committed alumni volunteers to celebrate National Volunteer Month. Tisha Young (B.S.’04) is an active member of the Hampton Roads alumni chapter and was the committee leader for this year’s VCU Ladies and Sisters Tea in the region.
Tell us a little bit about your time at VCU.
My time at VCU was absolutely incredible. It was quite transformative, not just personally but academically as well. With me coming from a small town of less than 7,000 people, coming to Richmond, to VCU, it was huge, almost like coming to New York. The people that I met there, whether it was from the dorms or the classes, all of it allowed me to grow as a person.
What have you been doing since graduating from VCU?
I graduated in 2004 with a B.S. in Accounting for my first degree. [Tisha has since earned her M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.] I have stayed in the accounting and auditing field, and I am currently a senior accountant. I was in Richmond for maybe 12 years, and got my first job in accounts payable at Westminster Canterbury. There I became a junior accountant and moved my way up. I eventually went home to the Hampton Roads area, and worked there for a few years. My company, Northrop Grumman, asked me to move to Washington, D.C., to take on a lead assignment. I stayed up there for probably 10 years or so. Now I’m back in Hampton Roads, working for Newport News Shipyard.
Tell us about your involvement with the Hampton Roads alumni chapter and the Ladies and Sisters Tea.
That actually started while I was in college. It originally started out being work-study when I was at VCU. I was in the Office of General Accounting … they would have opportunities for us to go out and assist with different things. VCU is huge on volunteering at events for the community, so I helped out there and, when I moved to D.C., I did volunteering as well with We Are Family DC. When I moved back to Hampton Roads, I wished we had something for Hampton Roads alumni, and I looked it up and saw an event they had, a VCU cruise in Norfolk. I was super excited; I signed up, and it has just been phenomenal since then. Chapter members are more like family, that’s how much we talk to each other and are close to each other. They have been an enormous help with me transitioning back to Hampton Roads.
I started out attending events, and now I’m more in a leadership role. I recently led the VCU Hampton Roads Ladies and Sisters Tea Party, and that was phenomenal. Almost 100 women came out to support. I was the lead host and lead emcee for that event. That was my first time leading the tea. I absolutely love the group and what it means. And of course anything that deals with women empowerment also.
Why is it important to you to be involved with alumni events?
It allows me to continue building relationships. It allows me to continue to give back, not just to our alumni but also to the community. One of the events that we just had was hosting a watch party, connecting our fellow alumni with their families, making sure the VCU name stays out there.
Also it’s about impact. You’re able to help and support the young students. We hosted a kickoff party this past August for local students who were selected to attend VCU. We were able to just love on them and give them pointers. We had a panel that offered different points of view where the students and parents were allowed to come and ask questions.
How can other alumni get involved?
I would advise other alumni to get involved by looking at social media for events (Facebook or Instagram), reaching out and updating your contact information so you can get all the notifications of when we have events.
It’s a way to network, it’s a way to stay in contact with alumni, it’s a way for you to support the young alumni who may be on the same path you once were. That can be a full-circle moment that can be incredibly rewarding by staying in contact with other alumni.
Tell us about the experience of bringing your 20- and 8-year-old daughters to alumni events.
Some of the events I bring both or some of them I may just bring one of my daughters. My 8-year-old, we went to the Virginia Zoo with VCU Alumni. That was my first time going … it was so good, she had so much fun. We ended up going back together as a family the next weekend. We also attended the Norfolk Tides game as a family with VCU Alumni. That was our first time at the Tides game. So many new experiences I have experienced just by being a part of VCU Alumni.