Here’s everything you need to know about the Student Alumni Association and how joining this student organization can benefit you!
First of all, what is the Student Alumni Association (SAA)? We are a high-profile registered student organization that works towards creating connections between our students and Alumni. We do this by representing UMass at high profile events and are responsible for coordinating many campus-wide events.
Our Mission is to create connections between Alumni and our students to enhance the UMass experience and foster the spirit of giving back.
We meet every Monday at 7pm in Memorial Hall, if you have any questions please feel free to contact our email at saa@umass.edu
Top 5 Benefits of joining SAA
1. First-hand opportunities at a future career or internship
Having the opportunity to meet and connect with Alum is the first step into life after college. Having the right qualifications and education is important, however, creating meaningful relationships with Alumni can sometimes allow for a foot in the door advantage when starting your career. Through our annual Networking night, students have met Alumni that have helped them get started on developing their career path upon graduation. Additionally, networking nights are a great way to get your name out there. Having these opportunities allow you to widen your connections with people and learn how they became successful. It’s important meeting people wherever you go and you never know what you will learn!
2. Large Scale Event Experience
Through our organization we run school-wide events; some past events include the multi-colored mile, ILoveUMass day, and our largest event Commencement ball. Having experience running large scale events is a great skill to have and something that can distinguish you from other students. To prepare for these events all our branches work together to plan, budget, organize, and execute these events. While preparing for these events we offer many leadership opportunities for members to get involved and learn about different aspects of running large scale events. Not only are these valuable skills to learn, running these events is really fun and rewarding!
3. SAA Perks
Being a member of the Student Alumni Association has its perks! Some of these special SAA perks include priority invites to events. This means that before we announce that we will be holding a networking event you have the opportunity to be an escort for high-profile Alumni; this allows you to create a personal connection with Alum before they reach the event. This is just one of the many exclusive opportunities that only SAA members get.
4. Resources
We are fortunate enough to have a great advisor Lindsay McGrath (Lindsay.mcgrath@umass.edu) who we look up to for both her incredible leadership and support, as well as an advisor. Lindsay is committed to our organization and works toward giving us more opportunities while making sure the organization runs as smoothly as possible. In the past, she has organized several workshops for us, including resume builders and conferences across the United States. Having this resource is something that many other clubs and organizations here on campus don’t have and is definitely a huge benefit.
5. Friendships
Here in SAA, there are many great opportunities to meet and connect with other students. Spending time with one another in meetings and planning events is one of the best parts of SAA. These lifelong friendships are what enhances our UMass experience. We look forward to welcoming you to our SAA family today!
Megan Phillips ’22
Publications Coordinator