Last year, a professor of mine told me I would be a great fit for this student org that was restarting. That org was the Alumni Association here at JMU and they were creating a student chapter. I applied and was accepted as a new member to begin in Fall 2021! I came to the first meeting and was immediately welcomed to the group by our advisors, Katelyn and Ryan. They had big plans for the Alumni Association that I was excited to take part in! Applying ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Throughout the first few months I was there, I got to take part in many awesome events such as: The Madison Alumni Conference (MAC), planning the spirit rock event, crab fest, Busch Gardens JMU day in the park, and The Distinguished Alumni Awards. Each event has given me experience doing something meaningful for the association/JMU. All of these have given me unique opportunities that I wouldn’t be offered anywhere else.
The Madison Alumni Conference happened in early September and was the first real event I got to attend. The Board of Directors of the Alumni Association and a bunch of chapters from around the country came to town. We got to do speed networking with the BOD and that was probably the most beneficial event I have gotten to take part in. I got connected with all the directors, but two in particular have changed my life. Mia Brabham is a writer for Shondaland and after we connected I became an assistant for her. I have helped her with research on how to promote and advertise her book and how to create an oracle deck. She has also been an amazing mentor to me with my own writing. I also met Bill Luth, who is the Executive Vice President of Signet Jewelers. He connected me with his director of incentive events and I have just recently accepted a position with them as their meetings and incentive events business intern. I also get to go to Puerto Rico with them in May to work one of their incentive events. I am beyond excited and so thankful that the Alumni Association hosted this event for me and other students to take part in. I am also so thankful for all the amazing alumni that continue to give back to us students.
Each student in the Alumni Association gets to help plan an event during homecoming if they want. The events to choose from are: quadfest, spirit rock, and tacobout traditions. The event I helped to plan was spirit rock. We got to choose the layout of the event, the decorations, and what our event program would be. We decided on pumpkin decorating, tie dyeing, free pizza and cider, decorating the spirit rock with paint and hand prints, life size games, and a live concert series. We got over a hundred more attendees than last year! It was the first time I have ever gotten to plan an event and as a hospitality major it was a great learning experience.
CrabFest was an event for the DC Metro Dukes that happened in September, as well. Three others and myself came to volunteer for the event at a farm in Northern Virginia. We got to rent a JMU car, drive up, work, and then drive the car home. We had many different roles, such as: social media takeover, food and beverage, and rolling crabs into paper to give out to attendees. We helped break down at the end of the event and got to take a bunch of crabs home afterwards! This was an event unlike any I have worked before.
The Busch Gardens day in the park was a fun event to work because I got to go to the park for the day for free, but with some responsibilities. I was in charge of making sure everyone going on the bus to Williamsburg arrived, got their tickets, and then at the end of the event got back on the bus to go home. I was also in charge of the social media takeover. During the day, I had to help some of the attendees with directions through the park and back to the bus. All in all, it was a blast to take part in this JMU pride event.
The most recent event I got to attend, was the Distinguished Alumni Awards. Four recipients of five different awards were recognized at this event. It was a three course meal, open bar of beer and wine for those who were over 21, and there was some beautiful live music. The exec team for the student committee were all invited to attend as guests, since a board member graciously bought us a table. It was an inspiring event to attend and I look forward to attending another one.
At the close of last semester, we began to create an exec. We did an anonymous election and I ended up being selected for President. My exec team consists of four others and they have all done an amazing job. We are all very passionate about this club and want to see it continue to do good for those around us in the JMU community.
We took part in another conference with the BOD where I also got to sit in as a director, since the president of the student committee is on the Board of Directors. It was an extremely unique experience to sit at the head next to the president of the BOD and participate in discussion. We made tik toks to show the board as part of our student showcase during the conference and they loved it. During that conference there was also a rose and resume networking event with the BOD that a whole bunch of students attended and we plan to host another one.
Our newest task though, is recruiting more students to join us. The Alumni Association does so much good for the JMU community and atmosphere, the students, and the alumni. The opportunities I have had because of this club are like none other. I would advocate for anyone looking to get involved to choose this one. No matter your major, your year, or your dreams in life, there is something for everyone because of this club. Not only is networking with alumni so beneficial, but there is great opportunity to meet more students in the JMU community.I hope that any student here at JMU reading this will consider applying because like it was for me, it could be a life changing experience.