Saint Mary’s Student Activities Board (SAB) works throughout the year to host events that will not only develop the sense of sisterhood among Saint Mary’s students but also the familiarity between Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students. SAB’s latest event, Belles Bash, did just that, sophomore and member of SAB’s entertainment committee Claire Linginfelter said.
“For Belles Bash, I helped set up and helped run the different booths,” Linginfelter said. “It was really fun because I got to interact with a lot of my peers and meet some of the freshmen while also meeting a lot of Holy Cross students who came over for the Bash. They helped emphasize the tri-campus community and better our relationship with Holy Cross.”
Senior and Student Activities Board president Zoie Clay said her primary goal when planning events is to both increase student happiness and encourage participation.
“I think it [Belles Bash] was a very successful event,” Clay said. “We had a huge turnout from both Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross College. I love seeing the tri-campus community working together at these events and show up for each other and support each other. … I hope the rest of this year’s events turn out as great as Belles Bash did.”
Receiving positive feedback from students who attend events SAB organizes is a rewarding experience, Clay said. The College holds special meaning to her family, she said, and having an impact on someone’s time at Saint Mary’s is what makes planning events worth it, she said.
“To be able to put my mark on the community and the campus and know that in some shape or way, I influenced one woman’s life or a huge group of students at Saint Mary’s … through the events I created that they went to and they had fun with their friends and increased that sisterhood, for me is the best feeling in the world,” Clay said.
Similarly, junior Emma Freund, SAB vice president, said in an email that she finds the most joy when an activity is successful.
“My most rewarding moment in SAB is when our events finally come together,” Freund said. “They always take so long to plan and tend to be slightly chaotic, but when I see all the Saint Mary’s girls hanging out together and having fun, I know it was all worth it.”
Clay’s also said her ultimate hope for an SAB activity is to bring joy to students’ lives.
“I am trying to make everybody happy, to make an event where girls come and they’re excited to be there and they’re really loving what we’re putting on,” Clay said. “If it’s making door decs for their quad with their roommates or getting some really good food that isn’t Sodexo or listening to some great music, my goal is just for everyone to have a really great time and feel comfortable.”
