Curious about about who makes this organization possible? The SAA has a wide range of opportunities for students who want to get involved, starting with our annual internship program, Student Alumni Leadership. Many students work with the SAA for multiple years and have the chance to grow with the organization as they take on more responsibility. We caught up with Laurent Hobbs to ask her about her role as Director of Membership and Engagement and her involvement in the campus community last term. 

What year are you and how long have you been with the SAA?

I’m a junior and this is my second year with the SAA.

What are you studying in school?

I am majoring in Advertising with a minor in Writing, Public Speaking and Critical Reasoning.

How did you come to be involved with the SAA?

I started off by working with the SAA during the summer after my freshman year at IntroDUCKtion, which is where we get a majority of our membership sign-ups. It was a great opportunity for me to learn about what the SAA does and what it has to offer. I was then a membership intern my sophomore year and worked again during last summer. I’m now the Director of Membership and Engagement after we combined last year’s Membership cornerstone and Engagement cornerstone into one. This year is all about making the cornerstone my own while also trying to figure it all out.

Will you explain what you were in charge of doing last term?

One of the things the SAA is most know for are the Beat T-Shirts we hand out before every home Pac-12 game in the fall. As Director of Membership and Engagement, all Beat T-Shirt business falls to me. I coordinated the shirt foldings each week of a handout, making sure all 2000+ shirts were folded and sorted by size. I also worked with the other SAA directors and interns to staff our all-day handouts.

The handouts incorporated the “engagement” piece since members picking up their shirts is a great first step to getting them involved with our association. The “membership” aspect tied into the new memberships we could sell at the handouts as a result of the excitement around the Beat T-Shirts from non-member students. We would consistently break the goals I’d set for how many new memberships I wanted at each handout. I absolutely could not have made it through fall term without the help of the rest of the Student Alumni Leadership team. Everyone was always willing to help out, and I believe they’re the reason why our handouts and membership sales were so successful.

What do you think is the best thing the SAA has given you?

It’s hard to pick just one thing because the SAA has given me so much. While the professional skills I’ve learned have been so useful, I think I’d say the best thing would be the connections I’ve made. I’ve made great connections with some alumni and the UOAA staff, and I’ve made so many friends on the Student Alumni Leadership team. 

What do you do for fun outside of school and the SAA?

I love spending time with my friends. There’s a group of us who lived together in the residence halls, and I spend a lot of my free time with them. Our thing recently has been to get take-out and watch The Bachelor/The Bachelorette and Below Deck. I also used to be the president for the school’s swim club but have since stepped away from the team. 

Recommendations for students concerning the SAA and anything else about the University of Oregon?

The thing I love about the SAA is that you get out of it what you put into it. Our members can be as involved as they want to be. Some only pick up their Beat T-Shirts, and others attend every event we put on. I believe that a lot of what the SAA has to offer is invaluable. But in general, the best thing anyone can do is to get involved, whether that be with the SAA or a club sport or a volunteer organization.