Meet this week’s Campus Celeb, the amazing Ali Adam! After recently graduating in December, Ali continues to make the most of her senior year by staying busy not only with her internship at MTV (#jealous) but also through playing a key role in organizing one of UCLA’s most loved traditions – Spring Sing! With Spring Sing coming up this weekend, this was the perfect opportunity to get the inside scoop on the event and to grab some valuable advice from an accomplished grad!
Which extracurricular activities were you involved in during your time at UCLA?
Freshman year, I got involved in Greek life by joining my sorority, Chi Omega. Then, sophomore year, I joined the Homecoming Committee and was on the Public Relations team, and then later in the year I got involved in Stage Crew for UCLA’s Spring Sing, put on by the Student Alumni Association. I fell in love with Spring Sing through doing Stage Crew and knew I had to get more involved in that somehow, which brought me to applying to SAA at the end of that year, and fortunately I was accepted! As a junior, I was the Marketing Director of Recruitment for SAA, and now as a senior, I am on the Spring Sing Executive Committee as a Judges and Awards Director. I was also involved in Academic Affairs Commission of USAC during my junior year, as well as Homecoming Committee again as a junior.
What has been your favorite part about being in SAA?
My favorite part about being involved in SAA obviously would have to be the friendships. It has been a wonderful organization to be a part of, helping me grow and learn professionally, socially, and academically. I am grateful that no matter what position you have in SAA, you are encouraged to challenge yourself and to be accountable and responsible for your duties. It isn’t just a fun group of students who like to hang out; we put on amazing events. But that also entails a lot of time and effort, and so it is extremely rewarding when something you have been working on for so long is received so well by the rest of the student body.
What exactly is your role in organizing Spring Sing? Can you tell me a little bit more about what goes into putting it together?
As I previously said, I was involved in Spring Sing’s Stage Crew as a sophomore, which was mostly behind-the-scenes work that many people don’t notice. Stage Crew is an awesome way to get involved if you aren’t already in SAA! As for being on the Spring Sing Executive Committee, I have been involved my entire senior year. Many people don’t even think about it until spring rolls around, as it is not until May, but the committee is literally working on it from day one of fall quarter. There is so much unseen and thankless work put into this event, so it’s crazy to think that the time has finally come for us to present our work to the rest of the school. And of course, Talent, Company, and Stage Crew have also been putting so much time and effort in as well, so I’m sure they feel the same way.
As a Judges and Awards Director, I am in charge of securing 10-15 celebrities to serve on our judge panel. It is harder than it seems, since you want to make everyone happy, but as celebrities lead busy and demanding lives, you may not always get your dream team. My co-directors and I basically pitch 500-600 publicists inviting their clients to be a judge, and then we see from there who is available and interested. We also have to put together gift bags for all the celebrities, so that involves reaching out to businesses and local retailers to see if they’d like to donate as we have a limited budget. Lastly, this year, we wanted to expand our presence outside of the campus, so I invited external press to come and cover the event. A few media outlets, including Us Weekly, will be attending to cover the event, which is super exciting as this has never been done before. Hopefully this can help boost Spring Sing to be even bigger than just a campus event.
What do you enjoy most about being a part of the team that plans this event?
What I enjoy most about being on this committee has to be the people I am working with. They are amazing people, and knowing most of them before through SAA, I was so excited to be working on this event alongside them. But besides being great colleagues, they are my best friends. We seriously have bonded so much, from staying up all night at retreats in Lake Arrowhead, to waking up at 5am for ticket sales and dancing deliriously to music to get us pumped, to spontaneous Vegas weekends, and of course to all the auditions and rehearsals we’ve sat through together.
What do you think makes Spring Sing such an iconic UCLA event?
I think Spring Sing is so iconic because it isn’t just a talent show. It is an experience, it is a celebration of Bruin talent. We want Spring Sing to represent who we are as a multi-talented student body, so we have a little bit of everything – bands, solos, dance groups, productions, and even the infamous Company who always makes us laugh with their live skits and impeccable shorts. I love that it is at the end of the year–it’s this wonderful way to end a long academic year of impossible midterms and endless papers. The fact that alumni still want to attend year after year, even decades after their college days, surely speaks to the fact that Spring Sing is a tradition like no other.
What has been your favorite Spring Sing moment from past years?
My favorite Spring Sing moment from past years has to be watching the Company intro from 2013. The “Space Jam” themed video was absolutely perfect and hilarious, and I still watch it over and over again to this day. But I can’t wait to say something from this year’s Spring Sing was my favorite, because I just know there’s gonna be that moment.
What can students expect from this year’s Spring Sing that’s different from previous years? What are you looking forward to most about this year’s event?
Well there’s definitely a huge surprise that the audience can expect, something that has never been done before, so it will definitely be different from previous years in that regard. I can’t give anything away, but what I can say is that there is something for every person in the audience – young and old, alumni, families, and the student body. Most looking forward to seeing our work come to life, and to meeting the judges that I have been emailing with back and forth!
In general, what was your favorite experience while being at UCLA? What would you tell an incoming freshmen to make sure they definitely do during their time here?
Probably just getting involved in different organizations and making friends outside of my usual group. It definitely allowed me to find myself, as cheesy as that sounds, and be comfortable with who I am. I’m a goofy, weird person, so the more I was able to step out of my comfort zone and try new things and meet new faces, the more I found people like me. All of my favorite memories involve being in good company and doing crazy spontaneous things on a whim. Like driving to Coachella my senior year with a bunch of friends on Sunday morning of weekend 2, no wristbands or plans, and just wingin’ it. And as for advice for freshmen, BE SPONTANEOUS. Say yes. Say yes when a friend asks you last minute to go on a fun trip or something! Join different groups and find your passions. If you love an event you attended on campus, find out how you can get involved and make it even better next year!
What other advice would you give to students who are just starting out their college experiences?
You have the world in your hands, and you really grow and learn so much in your college days. So get involved, but don’t join things just for the sake of adding them to a resume. Do things you love first, and your resume will follow suit. Start interning early on and getting your foot in the door. The earlier you start pursuing your passions and figuring out what you want to do, the more connections you build along the way. Any organization you are involved in can lead to amazing internship and job opportunities passed along through your peers, so don’t ever be afraid to reach out! Lastly, don’t stress about the small stuff. Getting an A on that GE midterm is far less important than having a memorable college experience.
P.S. Buy a Spring Sing ticket if you haven’t already – you don’t want to miss it!