July 17, 2013
During IntroDUCKtion my freshman year, my dad decided to sign me up for the Student Alumni Association—he handed me the membership card and said “have fun.” I had no idea what it meant to be a member of the SAA, aside from getting T-shirts before each Pac-12 home football game. During the year I attended a few of the more extravagant events. One event in particular was definitely one of the best nights I had as a freshman. A few of my friends and I crammed into a tiny zip-car, drove to Portland, and spent the night shopping at the Nike Employee Store with hundreds of our closest SAA members. Aside from the awesome Duck gear and sports wear I got that night, I had an unforgettable bonding experience with my friends. No shopping spree will ever top that night and without the SAA I couldn’t have gotten there! As the year went on, I was overwhelmed with schoolwork and didn’t have time to attend many of the events. But no matter how long it had been since I attend an event, I still received emails from the SAA with new events and opportunities.
When I began searching for a job this summer, I remembered the SAA posting about Student Ambassadors I had seen during IntroDUCKtion and figured that would be a fun, low-key job for the summer. To fill out the application I began looking through the SAA website and saw that they offered so many great opportunities for students to get involved and build their resume. The more I learned the more excited I became to possibly work with the SAA team. During my interview I knew it would be a perfect fit. The SAA team was welcoming and passionate about their organization; it was hard not to feel the same way! Working for the SAA during IntroDUCKtion has been nothing like I expected, it’s been 100 times better! It is easy to talk to students and parents about the benefits of the SAA because the possibilities really are endless. From internship opportunities to discount shopping trips, the SAA has something for every type of student. I truly started from the bottom, not knowing much about the SAA, and now I can proudly say I am a summer employee for the organization. I am very excited to continue to work with the SAA and build relations that will last far beyond my years at UO.
When I began searching for a job this summer, I remembered the SAA posting about Student Ambassadors I had seen during IntroDUCKtion and figured that would be a fun, low-key job for the summer. To fill out the application I began looking through the SAA website and saw that they offered so many great opportunities for students to get involved and build their resume. The more I learned the more excited I became to possibly work with the SAA team. During my interview I knew it would be a perfect fit. The SAA team was welcoming and passionate about their organization; it was hard not to feel the same way! Working for the SAA during IntroDUCKtion has been nothing like I expected, it’s been 100 times better! It is easy to talk to students and parents about the benefits of the SAA because the possibilities really are endless. From internship opportunities to discount shopping trips, the SAA has something for every type of student. I truly started from the bottom, not knowing much about the SAA, and now I can proudly say I am a summer employee for the organization. I am very excited to continue to work with the SAA and build relations that will last far beyond my years at UO.