How I Met Your Org: Student Alumni Association

Mon, 04 Nov 2013 14:31:06 -0500

[Video]

How did you first get involved in your organization?

Sheena: I attended the 2012 Student Alumni Association event: Sweeten Up Your Network, and loved the experience I had with the successful young alumni there. After that, I wanted to be a part of the behind-the-scenes work that made such a thing possible so I filled out an interest form and attended their end-of-semester planning retreat.

Kevin: I first got involved when our first advisor came to one of my other groups on campus and told us about how they were having an interest meeting for SAA. At this time it hadn’t been formed yet and I was interested in the mission of the group. A couple of months later, our group was formed and I became the VP for Internal Affairs!

Stephanie: During Woolie training 2 years ago, one of the Woolies and a former SAA adviser came and spoke about a new student org they were starting that would connect student to alumni. I thought it would be an awesome experience because I was interested in getting advise from former UMBC students. Who knew what other possibilities would be available?

What is your organization already best known for at UMBC?

Sheena:I believe the Student Alumni Association (SAA) is best known for their empowering, student-driven events. With the help of our advisers, every activity we hold on campus is thought out, planned and executed by the students in the organization. It is a very nurturing environment where every idea can be brought to life because of the resources available to us and time-commitment that is always generously given.

Kevin: I think our group is best known for our annual event called Sweeten Up Your Network. It’s an event where students can speed network with all kinds of alumni from different backgrounds, and ask them questions about their experiences during colleges, life after college, and why they chose the decisions that they did.

Stephanie: Our org is still up and coming, but we have successfully held Sweeten Up Your Network two years in a row. This event allows students to network with alumni and "pick their brains" in 5min. You'll be surprised the kind of information/advise that you will receive.

What is something most people at UMBC do NOT know about your organization, but they should?

Sheena: Most people get confused when they see us, the usual reply at involvement fest is "...but I'm not an alum". We would like to clarify that we are not an organization for UMBC alumni but for current UMBC students by current UMBC students. In short, our goal is to connect students with the bottomless experiences, advice and resources that only young UMBC alumni can give them through as many on-campus activities as possible. Need first-hand career advice? Tips on post-college living? An opportunity to get a leg into a very competitive work-force? We have the connections, it is our gift to you.

Kevin: I think people should know that our organization is for students. There’s a lot of misconception about our group due to the fact that “alumni” is in our group title, but we are an organization for the students, by the students.

Jessica (our advisor): A lot of people think that SAA is a group for Alumni, people who have already graduated from UMBC, but in actuality its for current students. SAA works to connect students with Alumni to help them with career networking, professional development, and making connections with Alums who share their interests. On the flip side of that, SAA hosts several cool socal events throughout the year including UMBC Dye Hard (a black and gold tie dye event), homecoming kickball (students vs. alumni), casino night, instagram scavenger hunt, pizza study parties, and much more. Another cool thing SAA does is promote spirit and tradition on campus. We always hear that UMBC doesn't have spirit or an on-campus presence and SAA works to promote our UMBC community, celebrate Homecoming, and get students excited about being Retrievers. SAA is for anyone who wants to leave a legacy at UMBC.

Stephanie: People should know that SAA has so much to offer. Don't write us off just because we have 'Alumni' in our name. We're students who desire to leave a legacy on campus through connecting students with alums and helping with homecoming. We love to have fun and plan fun events.