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Writer's picturechristenjoy101

Spring 2024 - The Semester of Resilience

It’s that time of the year again when I post my semester recap on my blog! And what a semester it has been. I am truly blessed to have so many opportunities and amazing people in my life. Thank you to all of my supporters reading this blog post. Without further ado, let’s get into it! 



 

January


January was a time of uncertainty. I didn’t know what to expect for Spring 2024. I didn’t know if my classes would even be in person. January was a time to be productive and adaptable. The month wasn’t just about New Year's goals and resolutions. January was about remaining flexible despite all the hurdles that came my way in December. It was a fresh start and a new beginning. 


Official Business Owner/Nevada License

Allister, Ferris, Rick, and I are official business partners! We have a Nevada Business License for YouChef, LLC and we cannot wait to release our web app later this year.



Consumer Electronics Show 

I attended CES 2024! I was able to view so many innovative technological solutions and inventions. My favorite booth was a yoga mat that can trace your movements and tell you if you are doing specific poses right. 


TEDxUNLV Event

On January 27, 2024, I presented my first TEDx Talk titled “From Perfect to Present: Unveiling the Power of Journaling for Mental Health and Growth.” I memorized a 12-minute speech and delivered it to an auditorium full of people. My TEDx Talk will be on YouTube very soon. 



AMA x LWIB x APHIG Social

AMA partnered with Lee Women in Business and Alpha Phi Gamma for a social event! It was a great time for all of our clubs to network. As President of AMA, I believe it’s vitally important to create collaboration and synergy between organizations at UNLV to increase membership. 



 

February


February was a busy month! I definitely exercised my organizational and planning skills. I had to think on my feet, finding solutions to problems quickly. Being an event organizer is no joke.


The 11th Annual UNLV AMA Collegiate Western Regional Conference

The conference occurred from February 1 to February 3, 2024. We were unable to use the Lee Business School as our event venue for the large competition event on Saturday, February 3. The Lee Business School remained closed for the entire Spring 2024 semester. It took a lot of planning, communication, and coordination to find an inexpensive venue. We also had to market the conference heavily so students would attend and participate! 


  • AREA 15 Tour - On Thursday, we toured AREA15 and participated in round table discussions with marketing executives. Students received $5 in tokens to play at the arcade after the tour. We also entered OmegaMart for free!



  • Top Golf Tour - On Friday, we toured Top Golf and learned all about sales! I know all of our students enjoyed the experience. We played free Top Golf for over an hour. 



  • BlackFire Innovation - On Saturday, we held our biggest event of the year at Black Fire Innovation! Over 60 students RSVPed to the event. It was a fun-filled day of competitions and networking! 



  • Career Forum Grant - Our chapter was fortunate enough to earn a $1,000 grant from AMA National to use for any conference expenses! 

Night to Shine Volunteer Event

Night to Shine is one of my favorite volunteer events of the year! Each year, churches from around the world participate in hosting a prom for people with disabilities. It is always such a joy to be a buddy for the night to someone with a disability and make them feel special! I enjoy walking on the red carpet with them as well as burning up the dance floor with our epic dance moves! At the end of the night, the volunteers get to crown the prom guests King or Queen! I had the pleasure of crowning my buddy for the night and we both had an amazing time! 


My Night to Shine Buddy!


AMA x LWIB Valentine’s Day Social

It has been so much fun collaborating with Lee Women in Business this semester. We hosted an event called “Suits and Sweethearts” to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our club members. What a great time! 



LV AMA Super Bowl Recap

UNLV AMA members were able to attend an event hosted by LV AMA. We reviewed the best and the worst 2024 Super Bowl ads. It was a great event to network with marketing executives.   



Summerlin Rotary Club & Desert Springs Community Resource Center

I have been volunteering this semester with the Desert Springs Community Resource Center (DSCRC). Thank you to Gavin Froehlich for being an avid volunteer and introducing this non-profit to me! I have been helping with food distribution on Saturdays. I sometimes help at the food pantry on the weekdays as well. I was able to represent the DSCRC at the Rotary Club of Las Vegas Summerlin Gala! 



Honors Student Council Hike

I had a fun time leading a hiking trip for the Honors College Student Council (HSC)! We hiked the Gold Strike Hot Springs Trail. I was the Vice President for HSC this school year.



Top 11 Finalist for the AMA Collegiate Case Competition 

In February, we discovered that UNLV AMA was a finalist out of over 70+ participating universities in the AMA International Collegiate Case Competition! It took a lot of sleepless nights and tears to get our final entry submitted in December. Being top 11 was such good news after all the hard work we put in!



Pentel Ambassador & Events

I was an ambassador for Pentel during the 2024 Spring Semester. I hosted events on campus and promoted the art/stationary brand on my social media accounts.



 

March


March was one of the most fun months of Spring 2024! I loved traveling abroad to Spain and taking part in so many different opportunities!


AMA Annual Report Due 

Andres (my AMA Executive VP) and I worked on the UNLV AMA Annual Report for 10+ hours. This was the report that determined if we would be a Top Chapter. I wanted to make sure we had the best chances of being Top 10 once again! 


Books, Beverages, and Bites Events

Hieu was the best Books, Beverages, and Bites (BBB) President! He planned an event every week of the semester! Here is a picture of us meeting the new Dean of the Harrah College of Hospitality!



First Time Abroad!

During Spring Break, I traveled to Madrid, Spain! This was my first time traveling abroad. I saw my dear friends Nicole and Alex. It was a great time and I definitely understand the hype about traveling! 



More Pentel Sampling

I think I am known as the Pentel girl now! I am always sampling products on campus.


Preparing the Collegiate Case Competition Presentation 

After finding out we were a Top 11 Finalist in the International Collegiate Case Competition, UNLV AMA had to choose which five members would present the final marketing presentation in New Orleans. Manny, Martin, Ethan, Dani, and I worked tirelessly in the month of March to be prepared for the final presentation in April.


Guiding Students from Luxembourg

I had the opportunity to serve as a tour guide to students from the University of Luxembourg. It was a fun night being a tourist in Las Vegas! 



 

April


April was conference month! This was the biggest month for AMA. I am very proud of the whole chapter for how much work we put in this semester.


AMA International Collegiate Conference

Thirteen UNLV AMA membes traveled to New Orleans for the International Collegiate Conference from April 10-14. The whole trip was an adventure! Our connecting flight going to the conference was canceled! Our advisor Jack had to rent a van and we drove 6 hours from Houston to New Orleans. We thankfully made it so we could present our Case Competition presentation! We achieved so much as a chapter and I am so proud of everyone who participated in the conference!


  • 2nd Place Case Competition 

We won 2nd place! After preparing a 25 minute presentation and working countless hours with our advisors each week leading up to the competition, we won 2nd place and $2,000 for our chapter! 



  • 2024 Student Marketer of the Year

I won Student Marketer of the Year out of 14,000+ AMA members internationally!



  • Top 5 Chapter 

We are a Top 5 Chapter out of 320+ chapters internationally! We have not received this recognition before! Working on that annual report in March paid off!


UNLV Outstanding Student Leader

I won an award for being an outstanding student leader on campus! And so did Hieu!



LV AMA Strat Event

I attended an event at the Strat with Las Vegas AMA. I had a blast networking and the view was spectacular! Those rides are scary!



Honors Student Council Field Day and Taco Party

Our Executive Team planned the HSC Field Day and Taco Party. It was a fun filled afternoon with Cafe Rio, field day games, and a giant parachute! It was a great way to create community within the Honors College.


AMA Awards Banquet 

We planned an event for AMA members to appreciate each other and to congratulate our graduating seniors! I want to thank everyone for nominating me for award. I am so excited to work with the new officer team next semester. I will be serving a 2nd term as President!


 

May


Although the school year is ending, there is still so much in store!


Graduating from the Global Entrepreneurship Experience Program

I graduated from my minor program! It was a bittersweet moment! I truly loved the Global Entrepreneurship Experience Program. I thought of realistic business ideas and practiced pitching within the classroom. But guess what is next…our cohort is going to Morocco this month! I am thrilled to be traveling abroad with my friends and getting to experience the entrepreneurship and culture in this country!



Finishing Lead Peer Mentor Role

I have ended my 2 years of being a Lead Peer Mentor for the Harrah College of Hospitality. I have mentored over 100+ students during my time in this role.


Celebrating Graduates

Congratulations to my friends Andres, Hieu, and Haley for graduating this semester! I also want to shoutout my boyfriend Gavin for finishing and being a light in my life. 



And I finished with a 4.0 Term GPA!

 

What’s Next?

  • Traveling to Morocco

  • Summer Internship at Station Casinos

  • 2024-2025 BBB President

  • 2024-2025 AMA President 


With joy,


Christen

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