Amanda Mullany Competes With Georgia Southern University SOAR Team To Win Regional Awards

2011 Mar 22

Georgia Southern University's SOAR (Orientation) Team recently traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to attend the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW) where they won several awards. SROW is a regional conference through the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA) attended by undergraduate orientation leaders, graduate students, and orientation professionals.

Over 1700 people from 82 institutions across the southeast gathered at Louisiana State University to learn about other orientation programs, student leadership, teamwork, diversity and acceptance, student and family transition, and showcase school pride. For the last few months, the SOAR Team has been preparing to represent Georgia Southern at SROW and their hard work paid off.

Amanda Mullany from McDonough competed as part of the 2011 SOAR Team.

The SOAR Team won 1st place in the community service project, donating over 2,400 school, office, art, and cleaning supplies to St. Lillian Academy, a school in Baton Rouge serving students with special needs. These items will help St. Lillian Academy open its doors for the first time this fall.

SOAR Leaders Emily Allen, Tina Belge, Sam Ivey, Colleen McNally, and Danté Porter presented an education session called "The Luxor Pyramid of Orientation," where they discussed how Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs can be applied to orientation programming. They placed 2nd in the Undergraduate Educational Session category.

Returning SOAR Leaders Lauren Elder and Garrett Green competed in the undergraduate student case study competition where they discussed how they would address an emergency situation during an orientation session. The SOAR Team also competed in a banner, t-shirt, spirit, and performance competition. The Georgia Southern SOAR Team proudly represented their institution and built connections with other orientation leaders.

SOAR is Southern's Orientation, Advisement, and Registration program for new students and the 2011 SOAR Team is made up of 24 undergraduate student leaders who help orient new students and their families to Georgia Southern during the summer SOAR sessions. SOAR Leaders serve as role models for new students by helping them register for classes, preparing them for college level academics, and informing parents about Georgia Southern services.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving over 19,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia's largest, is a top choice of Georgia's HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.