UCLA’s Student Alumni Association is based on a simple goal: Connect students with the campus and with alumni to forge a fulfilling and rewarding college experience for students while providing networking opportunities with UCLA alumni. The Student Alumni Association is a student-run organization that, while producing events for all Bruins to participate in, also provides a unique opportunity to its 100 executive committee volunteers to develop themselves professionally and socially. SAA, as it is better known, is a part of the UCLA Alumni Association and strives to provide annual activities and events that maintain campus traditions and enhance the student experience.
SAA plans great UCLA traditions such as Spring Sing , Dinners for 12 Strangers, and Blue and Gold Week, as well as career-and-networking-focused events such as Interview With a Bruin, Entertainment Networking Night, Senior Sendoff, and Life After College. This year, Blue and Gold Week kicks off fall quarter with a host of activities that bring the campus together from the start. Spirited events, including concerts in Bruin Plaza, a car smash, a community service fair, and lots of UCLA giveaways, occur throughout all of third week (Oct. 13-19). The week culminates with an energetic bonfire and rally celebrating Bruin football. Every year, it proves to be fun and exciting for everyone in the UCLA family.
Events like Spring Sing and Dinners for 12 Strangers provide evenings of fun where all students have to do is sign up or buy a ticket and then show up to be entertained. Other SAA events are based on getting ready for postgraduation life. Interview With a Bruin, for instance, provides two nights to practice one-on-one interview skills with UCLA alumni who work in a variety of industries. Afterward, student participants get valuable feedback on their performance and have time to discuss their career options and receive advice. Life After College also incorporates fun while helping graduating students learn important information about real-life issues such as paying taxes and career options.
Being a member of SAA is a little bit like getting involved in student government in high school. But we are more geared toward event planning and the professional aspects associated with that. Specifically, all members of the Student Alumni Association learn about marketing and outreach efforts, collaborate with professionals from all fields of work, and get the rare opportunity to connect with alumni throughout the entire year.
Our 100 volunteers who organize these great events work on one of nine executive committees. For those interested in becoming a part of this close-knit family, informational meetings are being held Monday and Tuesday of week one at 7 p.m. in the James West Alumni Center, between Ackerman Student Union and Pauley Pavilion. There is an application and interview process that will prove to be worth your while, since SAA is made up of some of the most well-rounded and enthusiastic students on campus.
Balancing professionalism with fun is a truly unique opportunity, and a common love for UCLA drives SAA’s members to put on great events and add to the UCLA experience for all students.
We’re thrilled to meet students interested in volunteering with SAA, so we’re hoping for a great turnout at our fall welcome meetings on Sept. 29 and 30.
Save the dates and GO BRUINS!
Grometer is president of the UCLA Student Alumni Association.
Please visit www.uclalumni.net/%5FStudents/SAA/Volunteer.cfm for information on meetings for those who wish to get involved with SAA.
Visit www.uclalumni.net/CalendarEvents/BlueGold/2008/home.cfm to see the Web site for Blue and Gold Week.