2018-19

Maddie is a Junior Management Information Systems major. Next year, she will be the Director of SCU’s Activities Programming Board. We had the opportunity to ask her about her plans and goals for APB.

Tell us about your new role and your plans for next year?
Next year, I will be the Director of Santa Clara University's Activities Programming Board (APB). This translates to leading a team of 10 event managers and 2 administrative staff. APB is the main event planning organization on campus-- it is one of the nine Chartered Student Organizations, meaning, the events and staff are funded by the university. Over the course of the year, APB works hard to put on many events, ranging from the spring concert, bronco buses to events outside of SCU, wellness and de-stress events, speakers, comedians, and of course, lots mingling and food. Our mission is to foster a sense of community across all individuals and groups on campus through these events. My role is to not only help my team logistically plan such events, but also, remind them of the importance and impact we can make to create a well-rounded SCU experience for all members of the community. Essentially, the role's purpose is to inspire and invest in the team so they can translate this energy and compassion to the student body, faculty, and staff of SCU. Moving forward, my associate director and I have set goals to keep APB on a forward trajectory of success. What does this success look like? To the university, it looks like meeting and exceeding the revenue goals. To us, it's making sure the team is adaptive to change, inclusive to all groups, and continually improving to put forth more engaging, educational, and empowering events.

How did you become interested in this role?
Coming into SCU, the idea of making an impact on a school-wide scale seemed out of reach for me. Knowing I wanted to get involved in Santa Clara in some way, I reached out and talked to people who were involved in various student groups on campus. I was told by a friend to apply to APB my freshman year which lead to my appointment as the Speaker and Outreach Events Manager of my sophomore year. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. During my time, I fell absolutely in love with the close-knit team dynamic and directly seeing the positive outcomes of the events we put on for students. I met so many people in my role that I would have never met otherwise who are now an integral part of my Santa Clara experience. This lead to my desire to apply for the Director position for next year.

Do you have any advice for students who want to get involved?
For starters, APB is now hiring for the 2019-2020 school year! The link to apply is in the APB weekly email. If you are at all interested, I encourage you to read about the hired positions and fill out the application. If event planning isn't necessarily your style, I recommend testing things out and seeing what is for you! If not a CSO, there are so many RSO's on campus that range from a variety of subjects and causes. You can check out the Center for Student Involvement or take an exploratory approach, whether that be attending an event, meeting, trip, speech, demonstration, panel, or anything that interest you on campus.  My advice to you all is this: it's never too late to get involved and create positive change on this campus.