Winter 2015
TODAY
SAB
K-State Student Alumni Board alumni newsletter
By Katie VanDever, SAB member and 2015 Student Ambassador he 100th year of Homecoming made the 2016 K-State Student Ambassador elections even more special for six outstanding finalists. Student Alumni Board was especially excited to be represented by four of the six candidates. Following a universitywide vote, juniors Mandy Marchesini and Hunter Post were selected as the 2016 K-State Student Ambassadors. The new Student Ambassadors were announced at halftime of the K-State football team’s Homecoming game against the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 17. Since the Student Ambassador program was established in 1977, K-State students have selected one male and one female to represent the university to prospective students and alumni at K-State Alumni Association recruitment and alumni events across the state. Marchesini, from Loudonville, New York, is majoring in marketing. She said she is excited to give back to K-State as a Student Ambassador and is looking forward to making connections by finding common ground with prospective students and alumni. She said K-State has allowed her to be someone who raises her voice when something is important, has confidence in her own abilities, and gets involved in things she’s passionate about. “My time at K-State hasn’t been perfect … but through it all I’ve stayed here and been able to succeed. I want to show people that K-State has what they are looking for and that it is the best college experience in the country,” she said. K-State is important to Marchesini because she has many family ties to the university. “I grew up watching football games with my family, wearing cheerleading outfits, and yelling ‘Good for a Wildcat…
David Mayes ’96, K-State Alumni Association
2016 Student Ambassadors to represent K-State
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The 2016 K-State Student Ambassadors, Hunter Post and Mandy Marchesini, were all smiles after their names were announced during halftime of K-State’s Homecoming football game Oct. 17 in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
to use his enthusiastic personality and competitive nature to positively influence the Ambassador program. “K-State is expanding at a rate that is unmatched by other colleges and universities. We are constantly trying to continue the ‘K-State standard’ that we all have come to expect as Wildcats,” he said. Outside of his demanding academic and extracurricular schedule, Post is an avid sports fan and enjoys anything outside including exploring, hunting and wake-boarding. Congratulations to the new Student Ambassadors. SAB members are excited to see what they will accomplish this year. To read more about the 2016 Student Ambassadors, visit www.K-State.com/ StudentAmbassadors.
TOUCHDOWN’ whenever the ’Cats would score,” she said. In her spare time, Marchesini enjoys Netflix, cooking and traveling. Post, from Beloit, Kansas, is majoring in kinesiology/premedicine and is a legacy K-Stater. He said the opportunities K-State has given him are second to none and can’t wait to share his purple pride with prospective students and alumni. Post said he decided to run for Ambassador for the chance to connect with other K-Staters and to tell prospective students about the incredible people, opportunities and experiences found at K-State. He said the experiences he has had at K-State have prepared him to use his skills to relate, connect and develop those around him. For him, this is a chance
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PRESIDENT’S CORNER [ FROM THE PRESIDENT ] By Taylor Fry, president
They say time flies when you are having fun, and I believe that is a huge understatement when referring to Student Alumni Board. I can’t believe the semester is over, but thanks to the exciting adventures we embarked on this fall, this semester was one for the books. We kicked off the semester by traveling to Washington, D.C., for the national CASE ASAP conference. Ten SAB members and two advisers took over the nation’s capital and painted the city purple. Not only did we learn about other schools’ programs and
traditions, but we also met past SAB and board of directors members of the D.C. area and explored the city in a Wildcat-marked limo (below) thanks to Carolyn Jackson ’75, ’81, a member of the K-State Alumni Association board of directors. Upon returning to Manhattan, Kansas, we held a jersey-themed fall retreat and outlined our goals for the upcoming year. We also welcomed a new adviser, Tamie Redding ’87! Tamie has been a part of SAB for many years, but we are overjoyed to officially call her an adviser. Wildcats Forever experienced a great semester, as we have 200 more members than we did this time last year. Currently, we have 1,768 members! Just for Juniors Manhattan also experienced
a record number of participants, and we celebrated our December graduates at the second annual Grad Breakfast. SAB members can’t wait for the upcoming events in the spring semester. We will welcome two amazing K-State alumni for the annual Distinguished Young Alumni Program: 2016 DYA recipients Dr. Kourtney Bettinger ’06 and Clemente Jaquez ’08. We also will welcome a special SABaby as adviser Amanda Lee ’08 and Andrew Lee’s little one makes her appearance in April. I don’t think the Lees will ever experience a shortage of babysitters. As always, it is such a blessing to serve as president of such a great organization. I can’t wait to see what next semester brings. Happy holidays!
By Mohri Exline, SAB member In August, members of the Student Alumni Board traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual CASE ASAP conference. This conference provides college leaders the opportunity to both teach and gain insight from their peers in similar organizations to further the provision of effective programming on college campuses across the nation. Hundreds of students attend CASE ASAP each year. The final event of this conference was the CASE ASAP Network Awards and Presentation, where Student Alumni Board was recognized for the following awards in our district: SAB received the District VI Outstanding Internal Program Award for our Membership Review program. SAB members review our programs and various aspects of the organization every year in order to keep the team continually striving toward the best possible programs and processes. Canaan Coker ’15, former SAB vice president of campus programming, received the District VI Outstanding Student Leader Award for the work he put into Wildcats Forever, a program that allows K-State students to connect with the [2]
Courtesy of Tamie Redding ’87
SAB honored at CASE ASAP national conference
Thanks to Carolyn Jackson ’75, ’81, a member of the K-State Alumni Association board of directors, SAB members toured Washington, D.C., in style during the annual CASE ASAP conference.
K-State Alumni Association during their time on campus. This program flourished under Coker’s leadership and continues to thrive today. Finally, adviser Amanda Lee ’08 received the award for District VI Outstanding Adviser, and rightfully so. Lee has been a phenomenal adviser for the past few years and has continued to make positive strides for Student Alumni
Board and all its programming. Beyond her duties as adviser, Lee has supported each and every member of Student Alumni Board in various aspects of life at K-State and beyond. This has been a fantastic year for the Student Alumni Board, and the members have much to be proud of. We look forward to continued success in the 2016 conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
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SAB to host 2016 Distinguished Young Alumni in February By Alumni Association staff On Feb. 23, the K-State Student Alumni Board, a program of the K-State Alumni Association, will honor 2016 Distinguished Young Alumni Award recipients Dr. Kourtney Bettinger and Clemente Jaquez. The award, established in 2012, recognizes two K-State graduates who are younger than 35 and are using the scholarship, leadership and service experience they acquired at K-State to excel in their professions and contribute to their communities. Bettinger and Jaquez will return to campus Feb. 22-24 to visit with student groups and university classes. The K-State community is invited to attend their keynote presentations Feb. 23 in Little Theatre in the K-State Student Union. Bettinger’s presentation will begin at 3 p.m. A casual reception will take place from 3:30-4 p.m. outside Forum Hall, followed by Jaquez’s presentation at 4 p.m. “We encourage everyone to join us for the keynote presentations, which are sure to be inspiring to current students as well as alumni, faculty and staff” said Amanda Lee ’08, assistant director of student programs and Student Alumni Board adviser. “This year’s recipients truly embody what it means to be a K-Stater and are not only succeeding professionally but also are using their time and talents to better their communities and the world.” Bettinger, a native of the Kansas City area, is a physician and pediatric resident at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, Colorado. While at K-State, Bettinger was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and Mortar Board Senior Honor Society and served as president of Student Alumni Board and president of the K-State Rotaract Club, among other roles. Bettinger was also a 2006 Truman Scholar. She graduated from K-State in 2006 with a degree in modern languages and also earned a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Jaquez, a native of Garden City, Kansas, is the design director for Hoefer Wysocki Architecture in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from K-State in 2008 with a master’s degree in architecture and has been recognized as an outstanding practitioner and community advocate. While at K-State, Jaquez was an active member of Mortar Board Senior Honor Society, National Organization of Minority Architecture Students and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, among other roles. He was also a Rhodes Scholar national finalist, K-State Alumni Association Anderson Senior Award recipient, president of Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity and the Sigma Tau Delta Architecture student of the year. For more on the Distinguished Young Alumni program, visit www.K-State.com/DYA.
Familiar face becomes new SAB adviser
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his fall, Student Alumni Board welcomed Tamie Redding ’87 to the SAB family as an adviser. Redding has been with the K-State Alumni Association since 2006 in the programs department, and we are so grateful to have her assume this additional role within Student Alumni Board. Redding has taken on the task of managing New Member Training this semester and is taking steps to make this experience more meaningful for incoming SAB members with the addition of a Community Engagement component. Many a member of Student Alumni Board is familiar with her warm smile and genuine interest in sharing in their lives. Redding is a natural fit for Student Alumni Board, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. Welcome, Tamie!
SAB MEMBERS
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speak up
Some Student Alumni Board members tell us what they’ll be doing during winter break.
This holiday break I will be traveling to California to spend some time with some of the best people in the world, my family! I am excited to relax, enjoy the sunshine, and get rejuvenated for the spring semester.” — Allison Harwood, senior in marketing and entrepreneurship, Lawrence, Kansas
I look forward to hunkering down with friends and family around a warm fireplace and not moving for three weeks! In all seriousness, I’m excited to take some time to collect myself after a busy semester and prepare for the upcoming semester and summer, as I hope to be interning abroad in May and need to take some time to ensure I’m well-prepared!” — Mark Ronning, junior in electrical engineering, Prairie Village, Kansas
This winter break I am traveling to Boston to visit family and scour places to live for my summer internship with EY. I will also be merrily snuggled up by a fire in the Colorado mountains drinking copious amounts of coffee and researching economic development policies for a scholarly presentation due later in the winter. Above all else, however, I will be celebrating time with family and friends, skiing in the mountains and relishing the luxury of waking up to two furry dogs every morning.” — Caitlyn Webb, junior in international business/pre-law, Manhattan, Kansas
I will be traveling to Wisconsin for at least a week to visit all of my extended family and celebrate Christmas with everyone. Then, I will be road tripping to Ohio to visit my boyfriend’s sister sometime in January. Otherwise, I will be relaxing and recharging before the start of another semester of school.” — Sierra Lekie, junior in political science/economics, Lenexa, Kansas
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A YEAR IN REVIEW: 2015 STUDENT AMBASSADORS
By Nathan Laudan, 2015 K-State Student Ambassador he summer before my freshman year of college, I attended the East Central Kansas Alumni Club Picnic in my hometown of Paola, Kansas. It’s an annual potluck dinner celebrating the pride we have as Wildcats and meeting future students at our school of choice. This was the first event I attended as a “K-Stater” and got my first glimpse into the role of the Student Ambassador. At that event, Darren Allison ’13 and Angela Muhwezi ’13 were introduced and stood up to give insight as to what life was like as a K-State student and to share updates from the university. Never could I have guessed that I would return to give the same talk to my family, friends and community members four years later. This was a special moment to me and was, for sure, a highlight of my year of service as a Student Ambassador. However, this year was filled with other moments that my fellow Ambassador, Katie VanDever, and I will never forget and will look back on with fond memories as we conclude our year as the 2015 Student Ambassadors. When Katie and I were selected on the football field in fall 2014, I think the words shocked, honored, nervous and excited would accurately describe our feelings at the time. Neither of us knew the other that well, having met only once or twice before Homecoming week. In addition, had we not been selected as Ambassadors, neither thought our paths would cross again. One thing for sure is that I could not imagine serving this past year with anyone else. Katie’s willingness to always dive deeper into a conversation, her passion for Doritos and her love of living life to the fullest came through immediately. After our first transition meeting, I knew I was getting not only a great team member but also a lifelong friend. Katie wasn’t the only new K-State connection I gained. We had a whole army behind us, supporting us every step of the way. Gavin Hargrave ’08, ’10, who serves as associate director of alumni programs for the Alumni Association, was our biggest supporter, road-trip warrior and unofficial “dad” at our events. We also had members of Student Alumni Board help us at For Sophomores Only and Just for Juniors and give us feedback on our presentations. And we can’t forget to say “thank you” to the staff members of the K-State Alumni Association. Without your hard work and dedication, Katie and I wouldn’t have been able to do half the things we accomplished in our year of service. This year has been a whirlwind of activity, and I think I can speak for Katie when I say we wouldn’t have had it any other way. It has been an honor serving as the 2015 K-State Student Ambassadors and representing students at all the events.
David Mayes ’96, K-State Alumni Association
‘It has been an honor’ serving as Student Ambassadors
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Katie VanDever and Nathan Laudan served as the 2015 K-State Student Ambassadors. “One thing for sure is that I could not imagine serving this past year with anyone else,” Laudan says about VanDever.
To the 2016 Student Ambassadors, Mandy Marchesini and Hunter Post, best of luck and remember to soak it all in. This year goes by quickly and keep in mind what you were elected to do. You never know what student will be influenced to do more at K-State because of something you said. This year, Katie and I always tried to include a word of thanks to all our alumni and friends of the university at every event we went to, and I want to end this by saying the same. Thank you, K-State family, for everything. Without you, our student experience wouldn’t be possible. So please continue to be active members of this family because you help make this university come alive with purple pride and make us proud to become alumni. Go ’Cats!
ord! Spread the wid r and ate fo c d o o g a w Do you kno BOARD? I N M U L A T STUDEN [4]
Encourage a current K-State student
to apply online at www.k-state.com/SAB. Application deadline is midnight Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Questions?
Sam Edwards, samuelwzedwards@ksu.edu Amanda Lee, alee@k-state.com