NACATTACK!

It’s that time of year again. Every October, SAB prepares for the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) Regional Conference. This conference serves as an opportunity for members of SAB to interact with students from the programming boards at other schools, network with professionals in the talent business, and watch performances by countless musicians, comedians, poets, and magicians that we hope to bring to RU’s campus in the future. I, along with 5 other members of the SAB e-board and our advisor, will be traveling to Tulsa, OK tomorrow morning for a three-day whirlwind of educational sessions, showcases, and meet and greets.

NACA is one of my favorite things about SAB. This will be my 6^th NACA during my time here at RU. I have been to three national conferences in Nashville, Boston, and St. Louis, as well as two other regional conferences in Texas. Even before I was a member of the executive board, I was chosen to attend a NACA conference my freshman year. It was a huge honor for me to be selected by the upperclassmen on the executive board who saw enough potential in me to believe that I could contribute to the conference delegation. Choosing to get involved on campus right off the bat truly paid off. I showed my dedication to a campus organization as a freshman, almost from day one, and was rewarded with this honor. NACA is what inspired me to run for Concert Chair, VP, and eventually President.

My biggest piece of advice: find an organization that allows you to do what makes you happy. Then, put your heart into it, and you will get so much more out of your college experience. You will meet great people with whom you will form lasting friendships. You will be given opportunities to foster your own leadership abilities while also helping others become leaders as well.  You will create memories that will hold a special place in your heart.

 (NACA Nationals in Nashville- February 2009- my freshman year)

(NACA Regionals in Arlington- October 2010- the conference was right across from the baseball stadium, and the World Series was there the same time we were.)

This will be my last NACA conference. I have so many great memories from past conferences. One year, while on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel in Arlington, TX, I found a sweet potato. Yes, a yam. I took it into the conference with me. For the whole weekend, our group of students played practical jokes on each other, such as putting the yam under each other’s pillows, or slipping it into each other’s backpacks. I will never forget times like this one.

(The infamous yam)

I recently purchased a framed piece of artwork from a local craft fair with the quote, “Enjoy the little things in life… for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” Even seemingly insignificant things, like finding a yam under your hotel pillow, have now become memories that I will treasure for many years to come.