TODAYK-State Student Alumni Board alumni newsletter SABWinter 2014

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Students elect 2015 K-State Student AmbassadorsBy Canaan Coker, vice president of campus programming,

and Katie Bolin, vice president of membership

This year’s K-State Student Ambassador elections were especially exciting for

Student Alumni Board because five of the six finalists were not only members of SAB but also representatives of the 2014 SAB new member class.

Of the outstanding finalist pool, senior Nathan Laudan and sophomore Katie VanDever were selected as the 2015 Student Ambassadors following universitywide voting. The new Ambassadors were named Oct. 25 during halftime of the K-State football team’s Homecoming game against Texas, which the ’Cats won 23-0.

Since the Student Ambassador program was established in 1977, K-State students have selected one male and one female student each year to represent the university to prospective students and alumni at K-State Alumni Association recruitment and alumni events across the state.

Laudan, from Paola, Kansas, is dual-majoring in food science and agricultural communications. Laudan expressed his overwhelming excitement for the opportunity to share his passion for K-State with individuals throughout the state.

Laudan said he has fallen in love with the environment and family atmosphere that set K-State apart from other universities. For him, this is a unique chance to turn the experiences he has accumulated over the past three years at K-State into a powerful message regarding what makes this university special. Laudan also said he is looking forward to listening to the memories of hundreds of K-State alumni he will have the opportunity to meet.

“Getting to hear K-State history from a first-person point of view rather than just reading from a book is something I am

extremely excited about,” he said.Outside of his demanding academic

and extracurricular schedule, this newly elected Ambassador enjoys hanging out with peers, running, swimming and reading.

VanDever, from Augusta, Kansas, is majoring in communication studies with minors in history and nonprofit leadership. She said she is honored to represent the K-State family as a Student Ambassador and is looking forward to the opportunity to learn from alumni and to pass that knowledge on to other students.

VanDever said her favorite thing about K-State is the people who make campus so special. She described the K-State student body as “the most tight-knit group of

strangers I have ever met.”The family atmosphere at K-State is

something VanDever truly appreciates.“I feel so blessed to be attending a

university where I feel valued and cared for not only by our faculty and staff, but by the person standing next to me in the student section or at the table across from me at the library,” she said.

In her spare time, VanDever enjoys crafting, a good cup of coffee and cheering on the ’Cats.

Congratulations to the new Student Ambassadors! SAB members are excited to see what you will accomplish this year.

To read more about Laudan and VanDever, visit www.K-State.com/ StudentAmbassadors.

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The 2015 K-State Student Ambassadors, Katie VanDever (second from left) and Nathan Laudan

(second from right), are congratulated by Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, president and CEO of the

K-State Alumni Association, and K-State President Kirk Schulz in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

[ SABTODAY ]

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PRESIDENT’S CORNER

[ FROM THE PRESIDENT ]By Adam Wilkerson, president

From Prague to Manhappiness, my transition to Student Alumni Board president was rather unique.

After being elected via video speech while studying abroad last semester, I immediately felt the entire support of SAB from around the world. A big shout-out goes to Sam Kellerman ’14, who continued her reign as president until I returned to the States.

The first big SAB event I was able to take part in as president was road-tripping to St. Louis, Missouri, for the national CASE ASAP conference. Accompanied by an adviser I had only recently met and six fellow SAB members, we took STL by storm and had a great time. The highlights of the trip were 2014 Student Ambassador

Chance Berndt’s performance of the K-S-U cheer on a table in front of 700 people, which earned our district the Spirit Award, and winning the Outstanding Internal Programming award for our New Member Training program.

However, soon after our return to Manhattan, one of the executive members had to step down from her position. But where ill news is, great opportunity also can be found. Katie Bolin stepped into an executive role just after the semester started and was able to continue with the implementation of our New Member Training program without missing a beat. We are very appreciative of Katie’s leadership in the vice president of membership position.

Wildcats Forever reached a new mark this year by extending to the K-State Salina campus. Canaan Coker, vice president of campus programming, and other members helped lead this initiative. It has taken off with more

than 50 K-State Salina students joining in the first few weeks. As of December, Wildcats Forever has 1,500 members.

As you may know, SAB is a professional organization, but we also can’t help but have a significant amount of fun. On Sept. 13, SAB adviser Amanda Brookover (now Lee) ’08 married Andrew Lee, and SAB showed up at their wedding reception in full force. We danced our hearts out and shut down the reception. The wedding was beautiful, the reception was incredible and the opportunity to celebrate with the Lees was memorable!

With the semester winding to an end, the energy of SAB continues to rise. In February, we will welcome back two young leaders through the Distinguished Young Alumni program: 2015 DYA recipients Corey Fortin ’06 and Matt King ’07 (see story below).

In the meantime, ring in the holidays and celebrate this time with your SAB friends and the K-State family!

Teens learn about K-State at Just for Juniors events

Enjoy your

member benefits!By April Lewis, SAB secretary This fall, Student Alumni Board welcomed 74 high school juniors at Just for Juniors events in Manhattan, Kansas, and Topeka, Kansas.

During the events, students and parents were able to spend time speaking with SAB members and learning about each college and major offered at Kansas State University.

While parents attended an informational meeting with admissions representatives and Emily Lehning ’98, ’00, ’08, assistant vice president for student life and director of New Student Services, SAB members mingled and participated in activities that taught students about college and life at K-State.

K-State Student Ambassadors Chance Berndt and Ava Clark gave a presentation about campus life and ways to get involved on campus. Students then participated in activities such as a mock schedule planning, where they were given a blank calendar and instructed to fill in typical activities and requirements of a college student.

Both events were a great success and aimed to create a strong desire in high schoolers to consider attending K-State. SAB members look forward to hosting high schoolers again next year.

SAB names 2015 Distinguished Young Alumni Award recipientsBy Alumni Association staff

Two Kansas State University graduates are the recipients of the K-State Alumni Association Student Alumni Board’s 2015 Distinguished Young Alumni Award, which recognizes two K-State alumni 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.

Corey Fortin ’06, a native of Oberlin, Kansas, is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service with the United States Agency for International Development in Uganda. He graduated from K-State with degrees in agribusiness and animal sciences and industry. Fortin also earned a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas.

Matt King ’07, a native of Wichita, Kansas, and former SAB president, is a fund analyst for the World Bank Group, an international development institution

in Washington, D.C., that provides finance and technical assistance to developing countries. He graduated from K-State with a degree in political

science and natural resources and environmental sciences. He continued his education as a Fulbright Scholar at Oxford University, where he earned a master’s degree in environmental change and management.

SAB and the Alumni Association will honor Fortin and King when they return to campus Feb. 23-25 to give keynote presentations and visit with student groups and university classes.

For more on the award program, visit www.K-State.com/DYA.

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Student Alumni Board adviser Amanda Lee ’08 (far left) and SAB

members celebrate their Outstanding Internal Program award, which

they won for SAB’s New Member Training program.

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SAB earns high honor at CASE ASAP convention

Renew now!If your K-State Alumni Association membership has expired, renew now to start taking advantage of these benefits. Sign up today at www.k-state.com/joinDiscounted rates apply to alumni who received their first degree in the past five years.

Update your info!Did you move? Get a new job? Get married? Changed your email address? Keep us up to date by visiting www.k-state.com/ updateyourinfo

... and many more!

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This calendar is a benefit of membershipin the K-State Alumni Association.

2013 CALENDARA supplement to the K-Stater magazine

FEBRUARY 2013

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NEW YEAR’S DAY

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Students stand in line (top left - 1965) and camp out (bottom right - 1970s)

for basketball tickets outside of Ahearn Field House. Coach Jack Gardner led

K-State men’s basketball from 1939 to 1942 and 1946 to 1953 (bottom left).

First basketball game played in Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 26, 1988

vs. Purdue (large photo).

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Annual Calendar

By Katie VanDever, SAB member

The Student Alumni Board traveled through the “Gateway to Success” in August when seven members and their adviser attended the CASE ASAP Network Convention in St. Louis, Missouri.

The annual event, hosted by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education in partnership with Webster University and Iowa State University Student Alumni Relations Council, allowed student advancement groups to share some of their most successful programs and learn from fellow student leaders. Amanda Lee ’08, assistant director of student programs for the K-State Alumni Association and adviser for the Student Alumni Board, was joined by SAB members Chance Berndt, Katie Bolin, Caanan Coker, April Lewis, Katie VanDever and Adam Wilkerson at the 2014 event.

During the convention, a few SAB members presented an overview of the Distinguished Young Alumni program to about 100 students from across the country. They provided highlights of the program’s startup, including statistics, benefits, successes and challenges. The presentation attracted a large audience and offered a great opportunity to answer questions and gain feedback from others.

SAB members also learned about programs offered by advancement organizations from other universities. Members gained new insight and fresh ideas throughout the sessions, whose topics included benefit marathons, philanthropic programs, professionalism and school spirit.

The convention also provided opportunities such as networking meals, keynote speakers, workshops for students interested in pursuing careers in advancement and the chance to contribute to the CASE ASAP community service project, which involved

donating school supplies to benefit KidSmart’s Push for Pencils.The final event of the convention was the CASE ASAP Network

Awards banquet and presentation. SAB was honored to accept a national award for its New Member Training program in the Outstanding Internal Program category.

The conference, attended by more than 600 student leaders and 100 advisers from across the nation, provided incredible opportunities for reflection and growth.

The 2015 event will take place in Washington, D.C.

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Reflecting on ‘one of the most incredible experiences’

Ava Clark and Chance Berndt served as the 2014 K-State Student

Ambassadors. “From being on the field of a football game, to every

presentation, potluck and road trip across the state, representing

Kansas State University as one of the Student Ambassadors was an

unforgettable honor,” Berndt says.

A YEAR IN REVIEW: 2014 STUDENT AMBASSADORS

By Chance Berndt, 2014 K-State Student Ambassador “Oh, so you were a Student Ambassador? What was that like?”

I’ve always been caught off guard by that question. How do you sum up one of the most incredible experiences of your life in a few short words? From being on the field of a football game, to every presentation, potluck and road trip across the state, representing Kansas State University as one of the Student Ambassadors was an unforgettable honor. Though I’ll give it my best shot, the past year will continue to defy my attempts to describe it in a way that does it justice.

Fortunately, I don’t have to rely solely upon my own viewpoint when looking back upon my time as a Student Ambassador. I had someone with me every step of the way (and, usually, about three steps ahead). I knew the female 2014 Ambassador, Ava Clark, before we were selected, but I couldn’t have imagined how lucky I would be to have her as my counterpart during our term. With her huge passion for K-State, organizational skills, and the enviable ability to actually be on time, Ava was the perfect match for my more off-the-cuff style, and she continues to be one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met.

Ava and I also were able to work with a stellar group of people at the K-State Alumni Association. We went to every event with Gavin Hargrave ’08, ’10, who serves as the adviser for the Ambassador program and also as the associate director of alumni programs for the Alumni Association. As our de facto “dad” throughout the year, Gavin was the final word of approval for our presentations, our sounding board for various K-State-related puns and our biggest fan, and we couldn’t have done it without him.

As the year raced by, Ava and I gave presentations to groups of 10 to 200, met alumni from every corner of the U.S. and ate more food than some would think humanly possible! Each new event was another opportunity to see new places and new faces and to continue to see that it’s truly the people who make K-State so undeniably special. With every high school student or alumnus came a different K-State story, and I learned more about our university from them than I would have imagined. As past Ambassadors would agree, it was inspiring to be able to influence so many past and future Wildcats, but I took away so much more from this experience than I could have given.

Thank you, Student Alumni Board, for being our backbone of support at every on- and off-campus event and for keeping us grounded throughout the year. Thank you, Alumni Clubs, for being such gracious hosts throughout the year (and, more often

than not, sending us home with leftovers). And finally, to every member of our K-State family, thank you for allowing us to represent you. It was the experience of a lifetime, and you’ll never know how much you changed our lives over the past year.

To Nathan Laudan and Katie VanDever, the 2015 Student Ambassadors, BREATHE! With the expectations and stress that can come with this position, it’s easy to lose sight of the reason you wanted to be an Ambassador in the first place. Enjoy every little conversation, roadside stop for snacks and seemingly terrifying speech, because you’ll never be able to understand the influence you’ll have on others. We believe in you!

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Do you know a good candidate for STUDENT ALUMNI BOARD?

Questions?Katie Bolin, kbolin@k-state.eduAmanda Lee, alee@k-state.com

Encourage a current K-State student to apply online at www.k-state.com/SAB.

Application deadline is midnight Tuesday, Feb. 3.