GWU SBA's 2020-2021 First Semester Wrap Up

By: Will Schiller

This has truly been a semester, unlike any other.

When I was named as Co-VP of Member and Alumni Relations for the Sports Business Association in early May of 2020, few of us foresaw just how different this past semester was going to be.

But as the months until school turned into weeks, and the announcement of a virtual semester reverberated through our communities, it became increasingly clear just how much things would change.

The changes to our semester, academic, and personal lives permeated throughout the SBA. We had planned - and indeed hoped - for the opportunity to connect with members and further the organization in person, yet had to pivot all the same.

As a member of the executive board, it was stressful and time-consuming trying to come up with ways to engage our members. Originally, we had pitched having panels and/or events every week, but it soon became clear that that was overzealous. However, having one or two strong panels/events a month was our goal, and we decided to go with it.

As the semester got underway, the executive board focused on our members, whether that was through reaching out to organizations to potentially do a co-event with, or launching member blog posts, hosting numerous engaging and exciting panels, as well as sharing internship and job opportunities.

Although the semester began with uncertainty, it has been an absolute pleasure to serve on the eBoard of the Sports Business Association, and I look forward to what should be another fantastic semester.