LATROBE, PA — For a record-setting fifth year in a row, the Saint Vincent College Activities Programming Board (APB) was named Programming Board of the Year in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA).
Also, the APB’s annual “SVC: The Voice” event was honored by NACA as the Social Program of the Year and Director of Campus Life Deanna Wicks won the Dr. Thomas E. Matthews Award for Outstanding Professionals. The NACA announced its winners last November.
“To win [Programming Board of the Year] five years in a row is wild,” Wicks said. “For us, the biggest thing with [our events] is helping every student to find a home on campus. We have an all-volunteer staff, which really shows their commitment. At some schools, the staff is paid. But when you do as much as we do because the work is coming from your heart instead of feeling like it’s just something you have to do [to get paid], it’s incredibly special.”
Criteria for the Programming Board of the Year award include student participation, usage of budget, student volunteer work, reaching target audiences and promotional strategies. Saint Vincent’s APB usually stages up to 100 different student programs each academic year.
The members of Wicks’ group — including chairperson Zoey Baran C 25; team leaders Kaylin Welsh C 25 and Abby Stratton C 25; and graduate coordinator Gabby Bricker C’23 — return to campus early from semester breaks to get a jump on planning upcoming projects. In early January, Baran already was organizing the annual mission trip in March and the next “SVC: The Voice” show in April.
“Our team leaders sacrifice a lot,” Baran said. “So to see everyone’s hard work paying off is really great for them and it motivates us.”
NACA’s mission is to empower members to amplify the campus experience through inclusive learning, meaningful connections and engaging entertainment that transforms college communities and helps to make those communities into a place where everyone belongs. The Mid-Atlantic region of NACA encompasses Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, metro Washington DC and Ontario.
PHOTO: The cast of “SVC: The Voice” in April 2023