UW-Stout senior, Megan Soland, is more than worthy of being this weeks Campus Celeb. Soland is inspiring, driven, and instrumental in making our campus and community a better and safer place for us all. With the help of her friends and peers, she started a new campus organization called Students Against Sexual Assault, in hopes to provide support to victims and spread education to students. Meet Megan Soland!
Name: Megan Soland
Major: Vocational Rehabilitation, Concentrations: Psychiatric Rehab and Substance Abuse Counseling
Year: Senior
Hometown: Rochester, MN
SASA Position: President
HC: Why did you choose to attend UW-Stout?
MS: I found out about Stout because of gymnastics. I was on the gymnastics team my freshman year of college, but I fell in love with the atmosphere of Stout upon my first visit to the school. The students, faculty, and environment drew me in.
HC: What’s your favorite thing about Stout?
MS: My favorite thing about Stout is the people. I am constantly meeting new people that inspire me and push me to be a better person, both academically and personally.
HC: Tell us about Students Against Sexual Assault.
MS: Students Against Sexual Assault is a brand new organization this semester. Our main goal is to educate the campus and community about the huge issue that sexual assault has become. We also want to provide support for survivors of sexual assault/violence. We welcome anyone and everyone to join us. Our organization is a place where members can feel safe and supported. This organization isn’t just for survivors, it is for anyone that is against sexual assault and wants it to stop.
HC: What gave you the idea to start SASA at Stout and how’d you get the ball rolling with it?
MS: I was personally affected by sexual assault my freshman year here at Stout. I didn’t really know where to go and I didn’t feel comfortable telling anyone. I wanted to start SASA because I think there needs to be more support for survivors of sexual assault and more education on the issue on our campus. This student organization is a safe place for anyone to feel supported. I talked to my close friends about starting this organization and they were really supportive and have done an awesome job helping me get this started.
HC: What can we expect from SASA in the near future?
MS: We are planning some amazing events on campus coming up in April. We are going to be throwing a Take Back The Night Event, which will be filled with fun activities, stories of survivors, and entertainment. Also in April, we will be having an event called Denim Day. Denim Day is an International Event that promotes rape awareness and has been going on for over 15 years now. We will also be collaborating with a number of other student organizations on campus to raise awareness of sexual assaultat Stout. We have meetings every two weeks and our new members came up with some amazing ideas at our first meeting, so we are definitely looking forward to seeing all the events and activities fall into place.
HC: What else are you involved in on campus?
MS: I am currently coaching the youth gymnastics program we have on campus called SEGA gymnastics. I coach about 10 hours a week on top of my other job, so it definitely keeps me busy.
SPEED ROUND
Favorite Movie: Dirty Dancing
Favorite spot on campus: The gymnastics gym
Celebrity Crush: Ryan Gosling
Ideal Saturday Night: Hanging out with great friends while enjoying some live music