Emory’s Student Alumni Association (SAA) has made an exciting change this year. SAA has traditionally been composed of roughly 40 undergraduate students from all classes and fields of interest. These students act as liaisons between the student body and Emory alumni by representing students at Emory Alumni Association (EAA) sponsored events, organizing programs that connect students and alumni, and facilitating the transition from active student to proud alumni.

This year, the SAA has decided to both expand and reorganize, extending SAA membership to all students who have become alumni – at Emory this includes any student who has completed two full semesters of academic work. The tradition of becoming an alumni after two semesters was created in order to honor Robert Woodruff. Robert Woodruff left Emory after only two semesters to run the Coca-Cola Company and then gave back to Emory in many important ways.

The new structure of SAA will mirror the structure of the EAA. All alumni are members of the EAA, while those on the Emory Alumni Board represent the voice of alumni. All students who have achieved alumni status will now be considered a part of the SAA, and what used to be the SAA will now be the Student Alumni Board (SAB) that will represent students in alumni affairs.

To become a member, students either must attend the annual Sophomore Pinning Ceremony or contact the EAA to request membership status. All SAA members will receive a pin, EAA giveaways, digital communications from the EAA, membership in “Hometown Connection” Club, volunteer and leadership opportunities, access to the alumni database and LinkedIn group, resume listing, and numerous other opportunities to interact with alumni.

The SAB feels that this change will help students be more aware of and feel more included in alumni activities. We believe this will create a stronger sense of unity among all generations of Emory students.

I have been involved with the SAA since my freshman year at Emory, and now I'm it's co-president. The relationships I've formed have made my experience at Emory what it is today. The alumni I've met have given me so much guidance in determining my path at Emory and beyond. If you're interested in learning more about the SAA expansion, the SAB, or any other student-alumni-related activities, please contact me at alross2@emory.edu.

--Anna Ross 12C, SAA co-president

If there's one thing Washington, D.C. does well, it's happy hour.

We have happy hours for just about everything in this city -- networking, speed dating, charitable causes, you name it. It's tough to go anywhere at 6 p.m. on a workday in D.C. without stumbling across at least a few happy hours.

So, how do you make an Emory happy hour stand out in D.C.? SweetWater!

With the help of our friends from the Black Squirrel Bar in Adams Morgan, we were able to procure four of our favorite brews for the first-of-its-kind event, "A Night with SweetWater" last Wednesday.

For those uninitiated alums, SweetWater is a brewery in Atlanta that was founded in 1997. Served at many Emory events, SweetWater is a beer cherished by almost every Atlanta resident.

The kicker -- it's almost impossible to get SweetWater outside of the Southeast. For many who leave the South after graduation, the first thing they do when they come back is head to Chic-Fil-A. Others go find some SweetWater.

We clearly weren't the only ones in this city who wanted to get our hands on some SweetWater. More than 100 alumni came out to taste some SweetWater, catch up with old friends, and make some new ones.

But we didn't just stop there.

We paired our SweetWater with our favorite Southern staples: BBQ sandwiches, cornbread, and mac-n-cheese. The food and beer kept alums mingling at Black Squirrel for hours.

The event turned out to be an incredible success. The biggest question now is, when can we do it again?

At least when it comes to SweetWater, if you pour it, they will come.

--Jonathan Beam 06OX 08C and Erica Breese 08C

If there’s one thing I admire most about our alumni, it’s their selfless desire to serve their community and their love for helping others.

Last night, the Emory Alumni Association celebrated the noble work of two outstanding alumni, James Turpin 49C 51T 55M and Mary Ann Oakley 70G 74L, the 2011 Emory Medalists.

The Emory Medal is the highest University honor awarded exclusively to alumni. Honorees are selected by the Emory Alumni Board based on a list of criteria, including service to the Emory community and leadership.

To me, Jim Turpin and Mary Ann Oakley embody the true meaning of an Emory Medalist. Turpin, founder of Project Concern International, has devoted his life to serving the world in places where medical care is limited or does not exist. Oakley dedicated her life to her career as an employment lawyer, fighting for the rights of children in the middle of messy divorces.

The recipients enjoyed the Emory Medal ceremony with close family and friends, including President Jim Wagner and EAB President Dirk Brown, who served as the master of ceremonies for the night. The night included a video montage of the two talking about their accomplishments, their families, and how their Emory education shaped them to become the people they are today.

This was my first time attending the Emory Medal ceremony, and having met with our recipients previously, I know they were both humbled and shocked by the honor—even nervous about the ceremony. I couldn’t think of more-deserving Emory Medalists this year.

Stay tuned for one-on-one interviews with our 2011 Emory Medalists.

--Tania Dowdy 08Ox 10C, online services specialist, EAA

Stillings began her career in marketing and public relations in Atlanta at Weber Shandwick. The summer before she graduated, Stillings worked in the Beijing branch and, after graduation, made the move to New York City and it stuck.

While in Beijing, Stillings grew to appreciate Chinese culture, and when she moved to New York, she spent time hanging out in Chinatown. Stillings frequented a bar there called Apotheke where she and the owner, Albert, became friends. A year and a half later, the two became partners and opened Theater Bar, a bar in the Big Apple.

It was just the opportunity she’d been waiting for: a way to incorporate the things she loved into a lucrative enterprise.

So how did she get into the nightlife and entertainment scene in the first place? Well, she can thank Emory for that one.

While at Emory, Stillings took advantage of all that the Atlanta nightlife had to offer and even worked as a DJ in her spare time. From the Highlands to Buckhead to Downtown to Midtown, she scoped it all out, while meeting dynamic and interesting people. In fact, many of her business contacts from the early stages of her career she met because she ventured outside the Emory bubble.

As a jet-setting, young professional, Stillings remarks that “You can never get anywhere in life unless you go out and meet people.”

This is a value she’s lived by all her life. She mentioned she found her first job in Atlanta using Emory’s vast Alumni network, and she still stays in contact with her sociology advisor to this day.

“Everyone has knowledge they are willing to share, and what bonds us first is Emory, and after that, it’s up to you,” Stillings said.

When Stillings moved to New York, the first thing she did was connect with alumni and got involved with various alumni groups in New York.

“I wanted to be part of a smaller community in a large city,” she said. “Emory gave so much to me. I figured I’d give something back in return.”

And somewhere between owning a bar and running the Alumnae and Women of Emory (AWE) chapter in New York City, Stillings has put together a classy, fabulous, and stylish event called Sip & Shop at Theory.

Be there, Wednesday, October 26, to mingle and shop with New York alumnae.

--Cindy Okereke 12C, EAA communications assistant