UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
2023 OUTSTANDING NEW CHAPTER
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.
“As the first Canadian chapter of SASE, our focus this past year has been on encouraging UCalgary students to become active members of their community. Despite being a commuter school, we were able to increase our membership rate by at least 10 percent following each event. Our strategy was to host a variety of events that catered to a broad audience, which allowed us to extend our reach in the community.
We organized a large professional event and a smaller, more casual networking and mentorship information session, which engaged roughly 40 students. We were successful in connecting students with local and international industry professionals of Asian heritage as mentees. We also tried to be strategic with our social events, given our status as a commuter school. We hosted an online trivia night and an origami night in collaboration with another club, which successfully raised $264 for a Canadian charity that helps impoverished families in Pakistan and was founded by a UofC alumna. In terms of our impact beyond the community, we aimed to connect our members with other SASE chapters regionally and nationally via Discord activities. We shared our experiences with UNM and encouraged our members to attend the West Regional Conference, and we even connected with the USCD SASE chapter to host a gaming night together in the spirit of a sister chapter event.
Our most successful event was the Resume/ LinkedIn Workshop, which had the best member turnout we had ever seen, resulting in a 26 percent increase in membership afterward. We planned for this event for six months, ensuring that it was well-advertised and that the attendees received useful tips. From this event, we learned a lot about organizing an event and fostering better relationships with our sponsors, which eventually helped us gain more mentorship program participants.”