OUTSTANDING NEW CHAPTERS
2024
University of Georgia &
The Pennsylvania State University
Awarded to the chapter that made the greatest positive influence in its community, region, and nation. Must be nominated by other chapters to be eligible for this award. Awarded to the chapter that was founded within the last two years and already has made outstanding contributions to and for the advancement of SASE’s three core mission statements: (1) prepare Asian heritage students for success in the global business world, (2) celebrate diversity and tolerance on campuses and in the workplace, and (3) provide opportunities for its members to make contributions to their local communities.
RECIPIENT - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
“In our first year as a chapter, we established a strong relationship with SASE Nationals through our multiple meetings with Khánh Vũ and his team. Through their support, our chapter brought 16 members to conference within one month of being established. That year, we grew to 70 members.
In our second year as a chapter, we grew our membership from 70 to 160 members, with a total of 490 attendees across all our events. We have received recognition within the college through our win against 19 other engineering organizations during Engineers Week 2024 competition. During our APIDA Heritage Month Celebration, we had 15 APIDA Subcommittee members organize weekly events throughout April, having the Dean of the College, as well as all assistant and associate deans in attendance.
Just at the APIDA Kick-Off Dinner, we had almost 80 attendees, catering from local asian-owned restaurants and had a cultural performance by a student Lion Dance group. We have hosted over 20 events in the past year, which has been a big commitment by our executive board, but has also reaped an even bigger reward. We have truly set the organization up for more successes in the future.
The key to our success and growth has been our amazing members, our overenthusiastic executive board, and commitment to our vision and members."
HONORABLE MENTION - THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
“Within its early years, Penn State SASEhas achieved remarkable growth. We have hosted over 80 events this academic year with attendance from at least 30 of our members. Subsequently, our organization’s membership retention increased from 50 to 130 active members. We have also received support from all 14 of our corporate sponsors, who have allowed us to financially sustain our chapter and offer powerful professional development content. This helped our members prepare for National Convention, with talks on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Perfecting your Elevator Pitch, enabling over 85 percent of our members at National Convention to land an interview! This growth in activity has allowed us to expand our Mentorship program and now support 25 pairs.
Our SASE chapter’s influence extends beyond our campus, too. We have partnered with nine different local Asian restaurants and shops for our members to receive discounts to encourage support to our Asian community.
Our most successful and influential event has been our Lunar New Years Formal, where we had over 100 people celebrate with us and share how our different cultures ring in the Lunar New Year. We were even able to award $200 worth of scholarships to our members! From this event and others we have held this semester, our organization has learned the importance of communication. To struggling or aspiring chapters, know that you are not alone! There is always someone who wants to help you succeed, so long as you communicate with them. This can be your advisors, leaders from other organizations, and your fellow SASE chapters. Building and running an organization is challenging, but stay focused on your why—your purpose and motivation—and leverage it when collaborating with your team, seeking sponsors, and engaging your members. With proper communication, determination, and support, your chapter can thrive. The entire #SASEfam is behind you!”