About the Student Alumni Council

The Student Alumni Council (S.A.C.) is made up of a select group of undergraduate students who work in partnership with the Stanford Alumni Association. We work to inspire Stanford pride and strengthen the bond that current students have with the university, their class and the entire alumni family. As a member of the S.A.C., you'll make new friends, plan exciting events and programs for your peers, develop as a leader and gain exclusive access to Stanford alumni.

Who We Are

The S.A.C. works on behalf of the Stanford Alumni Association to help Stanford graduates build lifelong intellectual and emotional connections with the university. We provide professional, social and service opportunities to current undergraduate students. The S.A.C. is made up of students from all class years and we have one major thing in common—we love Stanford (and we want to share that love)! Click on the links below to learn more about each of our five committees.

Committees

• Class Community

  The Class Community Committee focuses on building class community within individual class years (Freshmen, Sophomore and Junior). We plan and execute a variety of events from Frosh Alumni Dessert & Discussion to Sophomore Sips to Junior Dinner off the Farm. While certain events connect students with alumni, other events are purely social and simply meant to bring the class together.

  Geoff Angus '18
  Geoff is a native of California and a prospective computer science major. He is an avid musician and plays a wide variety of instruments including violin, guitar, piano, and saxophone. He can typically be found making music mashups or acoustic rap covers. Beyond music, he is a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and the Robotics Club, specifically the Electric Go-Kart and Plasma Speaker projects. When Geoff grows up, he wants to travel the world, write a book, and become Iron Man.

  
  

  Emma Coleman '17
  Emma is double majoring in international relations and comparative studies in race and ethnicity. In her first year on the Farm she immersed herself in the arts, working for the Stanford Arts Institute and assisting in the launch of MINT, a new fashion and culture magazine.

  
  

  Amartya Das '17
  Amartya is pursuing a degree in mathematical and computational science. In addition to his studies, Amartya is also involved on campus as a research assistant in the Department of Genetics, tour guide, and student government representative (having served on Frosh Council, ASSU Senate, and Nominations Commission). Originally from Chicago, Amartya loves biking along Lake Michigan, watching movies, and exploring the Bay Area with his friends. Among his favorite Stanford memories are fountain hopping and his first Ike's sandwich. Future goals include traveling the world and going skydiving. Amartya also has a little sister.

  
  

  Michael Kim '17
  Michael is the oldest of five children, the owner of many bow ties and a self-described "collector of wisdom." He plans to major in computer science but is deeply interested in literature, questions of race, and belief systems. On campus, Michael is a resident assistant, brother at Sigma Nu, and Rathbun Fellow for Religious Encounter. His life goals include writing a memoir, becoming a loving father, and using a ChapStick all the way to the bottom without losing it.

  
  

  Sean Means '18
  Sean is an energetic student hoping to serve the Stanford community and beyond. He is interested in three possible majors: international relations, political science, and history. Outside of class, Sean enjoys waving flags at football games and guarding The Axe as a member of the Axe Committee as well as taking on opponents in the ruck for the Stanford Men's Rugby team. Sean was also a member of Frosh Council. Some of his coolest moments so far have been leading out the football team at a game, studying abroad in China, and fountain hopping. Sean also enjoys his job as a financial analyst for Stanford Student Enterprises and being a part of the fraternity Delta Tau Delta. His goals in life are to experience life to the fullest and to leave knowing he made positive impacts on people.

  
  

  Kerry Wang '17
  Kerry is a computer science and human biology major and is passionate about human performance technology. Given all her experiences at Stanford, she has been surprised to find that her most influential teachers are the five-year-olds she tutored through the Haas Center. She thoroughly enjoys her on-campus job at Stanford Student Enterprises, where she is the advertising operations manager.

• Special Projects

  The Special Projects Committee unites Stanford students through a variety of activities and giveaways. We foster Stanford traditions through promotions and giveaways such as golf cart freebies, Nerd Nation activities, and GO CARDs decks. We also reach out to alumni and students to promote participation in annual special projects such as the Admit Weekend Alumni Panel and Beyond the Farm Global Day of Service. Go Card!

  Josh Fagel '18
  Josh (whose friends call him "Fagel") is a strange, humorous guy. He plans to major in economics and minor in political science but takes pride in the fact that his academic interests change every single day. When not watching Netflix or looking at pictures of cats, Josh enjoys playing drums in the Stanford Marching Band and the Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, performing Stand-Up Comedy, writing for the Stanford Flipside, and hanging out as a prospective member of Sigma Nu.

  
  

  Dhruti Gopalani '17
  Dhru is from Houston, Texas (best state in the land), but is really excited to explore California. She is planning on a management science and engineering major and modern languages minor. Dhru enjoys traveling, finding new music on Spotify (and playing it!), binge watching TV and movies, reading most anything, and learning useless facts. She is also an ordained minister.

  
  

  Matt Leong '17
  Matt is studying computer science. He grew up in Piedmont, CA surrounded by the opposition—his mother, father and sister are all UC Berkeley alums. On campus, Matt enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee, running The Dish, and eating Late Night dining. He is also a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

  
  

  Karan Mathur '17
  Karan is currently pursuing a degree in economics. Karan spends most of his time singing in the shower, as well as with Mixed Company A Capella. He hopes to help reform the healthcare industry in the future, start a family and discover the true meaning of life.

  
  

  Selby Sturzenegger '18
  Selby is living the good life on the Farm. She's an avid Cardinal sports fan who especially enjoys firing off the cannon at Stanford Stadium as a member of the AXE Committee. After swimming competitively for nine years, she's taken it down a notch—but if she's not in the pool with the club swim team, you're likely to find her in the gym or walking The Dish. Coaching Special Olympians is one of her favorite summer activities. While still undecided on a major, Selby's looking forward to experiencing the many unique courses Stanford offers.

• Publicity

  The Publicity Committee leads social media marketing efforts for all programs produced by the S.A.C. in partnership with the Stanford Alumni Association. We work with the Class Community and Special Projects Committees to develop successful marketing campaigns, capture video and photos at events, and collaborate with other campus organizations to spread the word about upcoming activities.

  Maddi Bukaty '18
  Maddi is a Southern California native pursuing a major in psychology or science, technology, and society. She loves helping people and is looking for a degree that will enable her to do that. Maddi is the external relations director for the on-campus organization Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE​​), a mentoring program in East Palo Alto. Maddi also enjoys being a psychology research assistant in Stanford's Mind and Body Lab. She is a member of Pi Beta Phi and can often be found exercising, eating, singing, or playing the guitar or piano.

• Logistics

  The Logistics Committee is responsible for overseeing the S.A.C. budget. We also record meeting minutes and work with the Publicity Committee to maintain a record of all event plans and communications.

  Rebekah Garcia '16
  Rebekah is a management science and engineering major seeking to balance her passion for the finance industry with her desire to work in the nonprofit sector. Her experience as a research intern for an investment management firm has motivated her to take classes at the Stanford Graduate School of Business while at Stanford. Rebekah will also continue serving as the volunteer manager for the Heart and Home Collaborative Women's Shelter as well as a mentor for socioeconomically disadvantaged high school seniors in The Phoenix Scholars Program.

• Internal Development

  The Internal Development Committee creates and maintains internal cohesion and compassion for the organization. We plan retreats and social activities for the council in addition to cultivating leadership skills through workshops on resume building, public speaking and more.

  Tiara Gaillard '18
  Tiara Gaillard is pursuing a double major in public policy and African and African American studies. She comes from Kalamazoo, Michigan and is the youngest of six kids. Since beginning school at Stanford, she has sought out a number of avenues in order to explore her passions in social justice and education. She is an intern with Stanford's Black Student Union, a marketing director with PCTRS, and a programming fellow/social media director with the Phoenix Scholars—a nonprofit organization dedicated to the cause of equity in college access. She is also a NAFROSH Research Fellow with the Native American Community Center where she does research on the school-to-prison pipeline. She loves J. Cole, Harry Potter, and working with people.

  
  

  Kayland Harrison '17
  Kayland plans to double major in linguistics and electrical engineering. He has a passion for teaching and education and wants to help people succeed in the most meaningful and fun ways possible. His hobbies and interests include studying foreign languages, singing, composing music, and playing the violin and piano.

  
  

  Lauren Phillips '17
  Lauren Motown "LoMo" Phillips realizes she has a lot of nicknames, but is sure that everyone will catch up at some point. She hails from the one and only Detroit, Michigan. A self-proclaimed nerdy art history major, she especially loves contemporary art. She is a proud and active member of S.A.C., the Black Student Union, Your Art Here, and Pi Beta Phi. In her spare time, she likes to write for her fashion blog ThisIsMotown (which you should go follow, right now).

  
  

  Daimen Sagastume '17
  Daimen is currently on track to major in biology and hopes to become a pediatrician. During his first year on the Farm, Daimen explored the seemingly endless opportunities that Stanford has to offer. He joined Frosh Council, the S.A.C. and other organizations including Camp Kesem and Math Magic—both devoted to helping kids. In his free time, Daimen enjoys running, bodysurfing, rock climbing, and graphic design.

The S.A.C. supports Stanford Alumni Association programs and events that build class community, connect students and alumni, and foster goodwill towards Stanford. Below is a sampling of the events we plan:

Check out your class pages to learn more about these events!

Being a member of the S.A.C. provides unique opportunities to get to know other students, plan events for your class and the student body, develop your leadership skills, connect with alumni, get free food and swag—need we go on? Recruitment is every spring quarter for current students and every fall quarter for incoming freshmen. Candidates apply in writing and applications are reviewed by the S.A.C. A limited number of candidates are invited to be interviewed by a council member and the group advisor. All active members remain in the S.A.C. for the remainder of their undergraduate careers. Members are replaced upon graduating.

What makes a good S.A.C. member? We are energetic, outgoing, ambitious students who love Stanford and want to promote pride and community through our events and programs. We are dedicated to the S.A.C. and exhibit good teamwork and follow-through on assigned programs and events. We attend full council meetings every two weeks and meet with our individual committees in the off weeks.

Interested? When fall quarter rolls around, keep an eye out for emails and Facebook posts about recruitment. You can also email the S.A.C. advisor Ashley Kennedy (kennedya@stanford.edu) for more information on how to apply.