MOST IMPROVED CHAPTERS
2024
Virginia Tech & Lamar University
Awarded to the chapter that displayed the greatest growth, change, and improvement over the past academic year.
RECIPIENT - VIRGINIA TECH
“This year, SASE at VT has experienced incredible growth in membership, and this growth has been accounted for in the events we have been able to provide this year. We have made strong progress in demonstrating our commitment to the pillars of SASE.
In preparing members for success in the global business world, we have seen increases in attendance for both social and professional development events. We have been able to provide a larger quantity of events than in previous years and have successfully funded our National and Regional Conferences for this year with peak attendance.
To celebrate diversity on campus and in the workplace, we have worked with several external organizations this year. As a part of larger umbrella organizations that encompass other Asian-American groups and minority engineering clubs, our events have proved that we place a lot of value in providing opportunities for all of our members who come from different backgrounds and fields. We wish to continue to provide resources that can assist as many members as possible.
Through reinstatement of Service Chairs, we have emphasized to SASE members that there are several opportunities to engage with our community and uphold our commitment to representing Virginia Tech. With significantly more events with new contacts and companies, we have been able to put ourselves out to more SASE chapters and individuals to explore collaboration opportunities.
Outside of events, our chapter has seen significantly more engagement in our community Discord server. Members have been using this space as much more of a resource and are able to seek advice and insight through upperclassmen.
This year has featured a lot of adaptability to accommodate many more members, but in the process, we ensured that members, new and old, could find some aspect of SASE that they resonated with."
HONORABLE MENTION - LAMAR UNIVERSITY
“Gritty. Determined. Hard-working. These robust adjectives do not fully encapsulate what the Lamar University (LU) SASE chapter represents. Although we are a smaller school, the room for growth and expansion has been immeasurable.
The 2023-2024 year has been referred to as the ‘revival era’ for the LU SASE Chapter as evidenced by our substantial jump from two to 35 official members — an over 1500 percent increase. Although we are a smaller school, we seized every opportunity to embody the SASE spirit and grew passionate about doing so. Our SASE tabling has twice been recognized as the most creative amongst over 30 other student organizations with the help of eye-catching Asian decor. These tabling events, along with hosting large events like the Water Lantern Festival and Lunar New Year Celebration, have given us the opportunity to expose more students to the significance of SASE while also celebrating the beautiful culture surrounding it.
Our social media presence has experienced exponential growth, with reels reaching 41,046 total views. This has allowed us to utilize our platform to share the opportunities within LU SASE to students of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and majors. Throughout the 2023-2024 year, we hosted more than 40 events aimed to foster students’ professional, cultural, and social growth. Being able to bring recognized companies like Dow and NASA to host professional events provided members with a glimpse into the potential of SASE by raising awareness of the attainability of similar opportunities for themselves. To ensure students would be prepared for such opportunities, we hosted events like resume critiques and mock interviews with companies to further develop their professional skills. SASE at Lamar University has been nothing short of accomplished, proficient, and cultivating. As time will tell, our chapter will continue to flourish.”