5 Reasons To Apply For The SLC...from someone who knows ball

The year 2020 will forever go down in history for many reasons, but for me it was the year I took a chance and applied for SADD’s State Student Leadership Council (SLC), and later on the National SLC, and now the ELC. So, in my history book, it was the year everything in my life changed…and as Glinda and Elphaba sing “I have been changed for good.”

I come from a small little farm town in Upstate, NY, where any place you go you bump into a cousin, and our big outings were driving to the nearest Dunkin or McDonald’s. In a small community it is so important that we look out for each other. That’s why I became involved with SADD, then a pandemic happened, and in August 2020, one day after my town was flooded (what we have deemed as Flo-vid), I saw an application for the NY State SLC. I applied, being a very young leader with minimal experience, was accepted, built up my skills and then applied for the National SLC. Let me give you a time jump to where I am now with SADD/my SADD wrapped:

4 years on the NY State SLC

3 as President

4 years on the National SLC

1 as a general council member

1 as the VP of TextLess Live More Engagement

1 as National President

1 as National President Emeritus

1 year on the TextLess Live More Engagement Board

Re-launched SADD’s Emerging Leaders Council (formerly the College Advisory Council)

Chair for 2 years, and counting

Working as an NY Community Engagement Specialist where I oversee the NY SLC for 3 years and counting

If that list should tell you anything, besides that I am a “try hard”…it should tell you to take a chance and APPLY! Trust me, I know ball.

Let me give you 5 really good reasons you should apply, based on how SADD has helped me grow professionally and personally.

1. Exponentially grow your network and make lifelong friends

Listen, I have 1,211 connections on LinkedIn, someone my age has an average of 50 to 200. On the SLCs you will meet so many people, from fellow council members, to partners and staff of SADD, and so on. I have so many friends from all over the world now, many I have met up with when I am traveling and still stay in touch with. They have become like a family to me, and I can’t imagine a world where I don’t know them. I have met so many professionals in the fields SADD is in, and they all care so much about cheering me on, and making sure I am set up for success in my future. The relationships I’ve built through SLCs have shaped who I am and where I’m going.

2.You build skills you can confidently apply to your everyday life

I am the person with the worst luck in airports - my luggage is lost, flight is delayed or I get stuck in Detroit, Michigan or Istanbul, Turkey. So many of the skills I use in my everyday life I have learned through my time with SADD. Working with people and learning how to work together when you have varying ideas, being able to advocate for yourself and what you care for, and being able to actually call and make your doctor's appointments (scariest of all TBH), are just a few things I can confidently do now. I can’t give you a set list of what skills you’ll build because it is different for everyone but I think one work sums it up: confidence,

3.You make a real impact, and that’s what everyone recruiter/employer wants

I have held about 15 different leadership positions in clubs/organizations from high school to college, and have been hired to work about 6 different jobs. When folks see SADD (State or National) Student Leadership Council on your resume they see that:

A). You’re applying yourself outside of the classroom and beyond your local community

B). You’re involved with a non-profit that helps save lives.

People want to work/collaborate with people who are dependable and care, and a line on your resume that reads “SADD SLC” speaks more words about your character than you’ll ever need to yourself.

4.Leave with plenty of work samples

Whatever field you desire to go into, there is always a chance someone wants a work sample and your time on the SLC gives you tangible pieces to leave with. SLC students have been known to write blogs, create toolkits, design social media posts, record videos, but the options are endless. Most importantly, you’re creating real content that is actively used and shared. This isn’t spec work or an assignment that lives in your drive. You’re getting hands-on experience you can confidently include in portfolios, applications, and interviews. The best part is: your work is representative of your passions. Whether it's safe driving or mental health advocacy, SADD is a big supporter of doing what “drives” you (couldn’t resist that pun). Think of how marketable you are making yourself!

 5. SADD needs you to help save lives.

Now more than ever we need more student leaders who want to step up and be a positive influence. With social media and tech being ever-evolving we need folks who want to put an end to distracted driving. We still see the lasting effects of the pandemic so we need new friends who care about mental health awareness. Vaping and underage drinking is taking over countless social events for young people, we need voices who are willing to speak out on this. I am officially turning unc, and don’t have as big of an influence as I did in high school. That’s why we need you– to help save folks from making those life ending decisions.

Trust me, after being involved with an organization whose purpose is to encourage positive decisions, applying for the SLC was the most positive, and best decision I ever made. Small town, big city, it does not matter where you come from, but that this is what you’re passionate about. So do it; apply. I would be sad in a world where I was never SADD.

Apply now: https://www.sadd.org/leadership