Rachel Hyatt ’21
- Major: Financial Economics
- Hometown: Darien, CT
- Hobbies/Interests:
- Painting
- Listening to Music
- Watching Netflix
- Extra curricular activities:
- Delta Zeta Sorrority
- Team Maine
Why would you like to be an officer?
I would like to be an officer because of the values that the Student Alumni Association is based upon and what their goals are. I was an officer for this past school year and would love to continue playing a role in this amazing program. This is a great leadership opportunity and I would love the ability to be a part of it.
Please explain relevant experience/skills that make you a good candidate to fill this officer position. Describe any relevant leadership positions or skills you have that made you a good candidate to fill this leadership position as well as engaging the group, connecting with members and alums, etc.
I have held many positions of leadership within other organizations on campus as well as holding a position in SAA this past year. I have had to learn to communicate with members of the UMaine faculty to set up events and fill out paperwork. On top of that I have also created and run my own events within the sorority that I am in. To be President/Vice President of this organization I feel as though you must have great communication skills to not only communicate with staff but also to communicate with the students that form this organization. I also believe that to a good President/Vice President you must believe in the organization and what it stands for. I am a huge advocate for enhancing the relationship between current students and alumni.
How do you think the Student Alumni Ambassadors program benefits UMaine and the Alumni Association?
The Student Alumni Ambassadors benefit UMaine and the Alumni Association in many ways. Having students who are representing the connection between current students and alumni is key and that is the role that the ambassadors are playing. They are helping to create networking opportunities with the alumni and provide the alumni with a way to look back at their time at UMaine as well as give back to the community they will always be apart of.
As an officer, you will attend the group meetings and will have periodic meetings with members of the Alumni Association staff. With that in mind, how do you see your ability to manage these duties along with your other classroom and campus responsibilities?
Since I was already an officer, being able to attend group meetings as well as members of the Alumni Association staff will not be a burden on my schedule. I am very good at making time for everything in my life and my planner is a huge help. I am a part of other organizations on campus as well as having a on campus job so scheduling is very important and I am always on top of my schedule to make sure there are no conflicts.
You will also be required to volunteer for events (typically 2-3 per semester), is this feasible for your schedule? Briefly explain how you will work this time commitment into your schedule.
This is feasible for my schedule. This semester I had already attended three events/tabling events and had planned to attend two more that semester. I enjoy helping out at these events and being an advocate for the Student Alumni Association. Fitting this into my schedule is not an issue whether it’s attending an event in between classes or at night.
What would you like to accomplish for the program in the 2020-2021 academic year? Please provide any ideas/projects/initiatives.
I would love to have more on campus events to help spread the word of the amazing organization we have as well as try and increase our membership especially with new students coming in the fall. I would love to have a table at the clubs and organization fair both in the fall and spring. I would like to host an event on campus during the first weeks of school to welcome the first year students to campus and help them to create a relationship with their class year. I would also want to make sure that when we have group meetings that we have a large attendance throughout the year and to do this maybe possibly having everyone attend at least one meeting a semester.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Being an officer of this organization already has provided me with the opportunity to work behind the scenes and see all of the effort that goes into running an organization like this. I would love to continue to be able to help run this organization and make it the most successful it can be.
Owen Vadala ’21
- Major: Secondary Education
- Hometown: Rowley, MA
- Hobbies/Interests:
- Leadership
- Film
- Video Games
- Consulting
- Greek Life
- Extra curricular activities:
- Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity
- UMaine Student Government
- Kappa Delta Pi Education Honors Society
- Student Maine Education Association
- UMaine Interfraternity Council
- UMaine History Club
- The UMaine Film Society
- WMEB 91.9FM
- Alternative Breaks (Black Bear Chapter)
Why would you like to be an officer?
I would like to continue my executive role within the Student Alumni Ambassadors because I want to continue to help this young organization grow and obtain more outreach. I recently spoke with Jeremy about becoming President and I want to build upon the foundation he created for this organization.
Please explain relevant experience/skills that make you a good candidate to fill this officer position. Describe any relevant leadership positions or skills you have that made you a good candidate to fill this leadership position as well as engaging the group, connecting with members and alums, etc.
I currently serve as the Vice President of this organization so I have been able to be involved in executive meetings, planning out how our individual bylaws will be implemented/executed, and I have worked with Student Government and the Office of Student Life to get our organization fully recognized by the University of Maine and undergraduate student body. I hope to engage our group further by being more communicative with events and finding more events that we can participate in as a group. In addition, I have had experience connecting and communicating with alumni from both the University of Maine and my fraternity, so I feel I have the foundational experience to engage them with our group.
How do you think the Student Alumni Ambassadors program benefits UMaine and the Alumni Association?
The Student Alumni Ambassadors Program benefits both UMaine and the Alumni Association by helping retain alumni interest in the campus and its students while also getting students excited for the prospect of being a UMaine alumni and receiving the benefits of that status. In addition, it simply allows students to give back to the larger UMaine community through alumni engagement and connection building.
As an officer, you will attend the group meetings and will have periodic meetings with members of the Alumni Association staff. With that in mind, how do you see your ability to manage these duties along with your other classroom and campus responsibilities?
I have been able to properly space out and schedule my time effectively in order to attend executive meetings, and meetings with members of the Alumni Association. I always like to say I am a Google Calendar based person, and along with classroom and campus responsibilities, I have been able to manage my time appropriately as Vice President and I do not see that becoming a concern in the near future if I were to be President.
You will also be required to volunteer for events (typically 2-3 per semester), is this feasible for your schedule? Briefly explain how you will work this time commitment into your schedule.
This requirement is feasible for my schedule because of my ability to make time when needed for the Student Alumni Association and communicate to the appropriate individuals whether or not I can attend the event due to another conflict. In addition, although I have a busy schedule, I have already integrated the Student Alumni Ambassadors Program into my daily life so this would not be too difficult of a transition.
What would you like to accomplish for the program in the 2020-2021 academic year? Please provide any ideas/projects/initiatives.
This past year, I led the effort for us to receive preliminary recognition from Student Government and the Office of Student Life and we eventually did get that. Now since we have laid the foundation already for that, one big goal I had in mind was increasing our tabling efforts as an organization particularly at the fall Student Organizations Fair. Through tabling, we will be able to recruit more engaged members who make the effort to come up to our table and ask what our organization is all about. This gets to a core goal I had in mind for the next year which is solidifying a core group of dedicated members to follow through and attend meetings or alumni events consistently. Not everyone who joins our organization will have all the time in the world to participate in all our events, but we need to have those potential new members approach us about joining order to identify some level of interest beyond just simply being a part of an organization just to say that they are.
Anything else to add?
I have had an amazing time serving as Vice President of this organization, and I hope to continue my experience as an executive with the program!