This research study sought to better understand what motivates and influences young alumni to engage with their alma mater. For many development and alumni relations departments, alumni have become a source of private funding to assist in the decreased burden of tuition and the cost of attending college. Frequently, alumni who are reached out to are the ones who have given in the past and are in the latter part of their lives. This leaves a gap of alumni who have not been engaged or guided to be the next board member or donor. The young alumni population at Florida International University has been forgotten, and now it is time to understand their characteristics and build a bridge to close the gap. Previous research focused on the traditional engagement for alumni, including those who graduated over ten years. The traditional engagement is defined as those who join the board, attend football games, and give annually. However, young alumni want transparency, and they let their alma mater know that what may matter to the colleges does not necessarily matter to them. However, they want to give back and stay involved in their capacity, not because of board member responsibilities. Therefore, this study sought to explore ways to successfully engage young alumni who were former student leaders and provide insight into how best to establish a relationship between the two entities. I leveraged the social exchange theory for the conceptual baseline using a qualitative research approach. A demographic questionnaire followed by individual interviews with a small sample were analyzed for common themes in characteristics that make former student leaders want to stay involved. Findings helped generate a base understanding of the most engaged students who are now alumni and how their experiences translated to getting them involved as an alumnus. Implications for universities' development and alumni relations, the College of Engineering & Computing, and the Department of Student Success are also discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]