This summer, our SAA members had the opportunity to travel and capitalize on professional development opportunities. Whether it was an event in New Jersey, or a trip to Missouri, members took advantage of traveling and networked not only with other Pirates and but also with organizations like our own. Below are two members’ experiences from the summer:
I had seen pictures from the 2013 CASE ASAP conference and was excited to be able to make my own memories in St. Louis.Being in a hotel with hundreds of other students with similar interests and goals heightened my passion for a successful contribution to my
Student Alumni Association. No two ideas out of hundreds of presentations were the same. It was rewarding not only to see the different paths other universities take but also to experience my own growth and pride from presenting Seton Hall’s ideas and answering questions that other Universities had. I thought that sitting through four presentations a day would be less than exciting, but I learned so much from these sessions and they made me so excited to go back to SHU and start a new tradition. As a new member of SAA, the CASE ASAP trip helped me bond with my fellow members and create many new friendships. I can’t wait for the next few meetings and retreat when we can start telling the rest of the organization what we learned and what we would like to start doing at Seton Hall. – Rhiannon Ohnstead ‘16
On July 23rd I was given the tremendous opportunity, along with a few fellow SAA members, to travel to our nation’s capitol to represent Seton Hall University during the 11th annual The Hall on the Hill reception. Upon our arrival in D.C. we went sight-seeing and we showed our Pirate pride at each stop. This was my first travel experience with SAA, as I am a new member, so I was unsure what to expect, but the event was incredible.
We arrived and helped with setting up and checking people into the event. Alumni, members of Congress, and our University President joined together to celebrate the immense growth that Seton Hall has gone through and the bright future of where Seton
Hall is headed. I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing alumni who were enthusiastic in sharing their stories and eager to also hear about my Seton Hall experience. After the event wrapped up we were able to personally speak with President Esteban and he shared stories with us about his college life and praised us for the work we had done. He even gave us in depth news of changes that we would see when we arrived back to school in August! To conclude our exciting day, we got the chance to go to dinner with one of SAA’s first presidents, Matt Steele, and other proud alumni. It was a phenomenal trip, and I look forward to seeing where SAA takes me next! -Jason Rivera ’16