An engineer and former U.S. Air Force captain, Mindy Kahn came to MetroWest in 1995.

The Jewish community she discovered here is quite different from the much smaller one that she knew in northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.

Many of the people she knew were involved in government work, and among the members of her synagogue were military personnel at the Pentagon. "So it didn't seem so strange there for a nice Jewish girl from the suburbs to join the Air Force," she observed. She was on active duty for four and a half years, based in the United States and traveling the world.

An incentive for her military service was the 100 percent tuition reimbursement. "I went to Cornell for free." She studied engineering and is now a product manager at a telecommunications hardware company.

When she arrived in MetroWest, she was single and didn't know anybody. "I joined the JCC and YLD [Young Leadership Division of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ]. I enjoyed meeting like-minded individuals who shared my values and aspirations. Later, I got married [to Arlen Kahn]. YLD is a place I can feel comfortable, married or single. It's a good place to make friends and network."

Energetic and enthusiastic, she soon found herself in a leadership role. Now, she's completing her second year as YLD co-chair, serves on the UJC National Young Leadership Cabinet, and is a JCC board member. Other posts include membership on the UJC Human Services Task Force and UJA Campaign Cabinet. On May 19, she and Jane Wilf will receive the Julius and Bessie Cohn Young Leadership Award at the UJC annual meeting in recognition of their outstanding volunteer service in the community.

Still, the Randolph resident finds time to play the flute and piccolo with the Hanover Wind Symphony in Hanover Township. She's been with the group for nine years, serves on the board of trustees, and is their treasurer.

"I really enjoy what I do in the MetroWest community," says Mindy. "This is my new home, and I'm planning to stay."