The Lion's Roundtable (Guests: Amanda Hammonds and Sophia Salinas)
Download MP3Good day. Good day. This is Amber Narro on ninety point nine FM The Lion. I'm here at the Lion's Table with Amanda Hammonds. And Sophia, Sophia, Sophia Salinas.
Amber Narro:Salinas. Why did I go blank on that for just a second? Oh my goodness. I've interviewed you so many times. I think you're just Sophia.
Amber Narro:You're one of those people who are just awesome, and you have those that one name. I love it's like Sophia at Alumni. Love that.
Sophia Salinas:Just like Madonna. Mhmm.
Amber Narro:Yeah. I'm so sorry. I went blank at the top of the hour. So I appreciate you being here. Thank you for
Sophia Salinas:Thank you for having us.
Amber Narro:Both of you and for all of the work that you're doing over at Alumni and continuing the awesome work of those who laid the the grounds before you. I was just yesterday talking with Bridget Laborde on the show about, having great leaders and people who have really left a a legacy of awesomeness and and kind of like almost charity in the workplace because you because you really just kinda create this awesome culture and I feel like you guys are kinda benefiting from a little of that and your leaders in your area. Yeah?
Sophia Salinas:Absolutely. Absolutely. They make it so much more fulfilling for us. Yes.
Amber Narro:For sure.
Amanda Hammonds:Mhmm.
Amber Narro:Indeed. So, Amanda, you've been in the alumni center since since December now. Right? Are you still interim title right now? So we we haven't it's not permanent just yet, but, man, you are already making a mark in some of the things that you've done.
Amber Narro:Yeah. Let's take a minute, and she's not gonna do it, Sophia, so I'm gonna ask you to do it. Since Amanda got into the office, what initiatives have you guys created in the last six months under
Sophia Salinas:Oh my my goodness. We have done we've gotten a lot more involved with our current students so that we have a good touch point with them and that when they graduate, they're not like, what's alumni? What do you guys do? They already know us coming in and that's really important to start building that relationship early. So Amanda's been such a vital part in doing that.
Sophia Salinas:We just went to orientation yesterday for the first time since I've been in this role. So we got to meet some alumni that are parents. We got to talk to students. We also have done alma matters with the college of business. So that was really fun.
Sophia Salinas:We connected alumni, and our current students that are graduating soon. And it was basically, what do you need and what can alumni offer you? So do you wanna look at your resume? Do you need somebody to talk through career advice with you? We have an alum that can do that for you.
Sophia Salinas:So that's just a couple new things that we've done since Amanda's been there and that she's led and it's been so rewarding and fun.
Amber Narro:Love it. And Amanda and I have been talking about trying to get our honors alumni together as well. So we are really putting that punch on I've put it in as, like, my main objective for twenty twenty seven, twenty for 2026, 2027, Jumping ahead of year. But I've I've put that in as a main objective because I want to make sure that we compile our list of alarms. Austin O'Brien, who is in the honors program right now, who's also on gold council for you guys.
Sophia Salinas:So exciting.
Amber Narro:He is putting together my list right now and and try and checking it twice and making sure that all of our people are on that list and that we can reach out to them.
Amanda Hammonds:To have, you know, to have all of those those students listed as all of their their organizations, their sports, their you know, their titles, honors. It helps us to know that information years from now so we can outreach properly.
Amber Narro:And one of the things that he's gonna be able to do is also reach to you guys and get some of that current contact information and do some mail merging and some list merging and make sure that we've got, yeah, that we've got everybody there. So I'm really gonna be putting him on that and then I and he's gonna love it because this is just his cup of tea, you know? Absolutely. And so he's and and I think that that is important for us to celebrate those who were here as well as those who are here. I do think that we do an excellent job of celebrating our students every day.
Amber Narro:So if you're sending your student here to Southeastern, we can absolutely do that. And this alumni programming that we have going on right now is the way to also celebrate them when they get out into the world as well. Some of your previous leaders have put together this gold council as well as putting together young alumni projects. The young alumni of the year and things like that. Obviously, these are great projects.
Amber Narro:We also have college alum of every college. Distinguished college. Yes. And like our alumnus of the year too. So, speaking of those things, they're announced at homecoming and you have for us what?
Amanda Hammonds:Yes. So, I think we're ready for homecoming, right?
Amber Narro:It'll be here
Sophia Salinas:before we know it.
Amanda Hammonds:So, it's so homecoming, the whole celebratory.
Amber Narro:I'm ready for football. I know. Alright. I'm starting to I'm starting to get a little football sick here.
Sophia Salinas:I know.
Amanda Hammonds:Yes. So, homecoming season, we'll celebrate it October fifteenth through seventeenth but the game, the homecoming game is October 17.
Amber Narro:Indeed. Yes.
Amanda Hammonds:And we'll have our alumni awards evening the night prior. So, October 16. Yeah.
Sophia Salinas:In the ballroom. What? Wonderful. Yes. Exciting.
Sophia Salinas:So,
Amber Narro:go ahead and mark your calendars. I think you said fifteenth through seventeenth. It was like thirteenth, right? Because that's the Monday.
Amanda Hammonds:Yeah. Yeah. The Monday, that whole week.
Amber Narro:Yeah. So, thirteenth through seventeenth, very excited. Thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, maybe the twelfth. Twelfth. I don't know.
Sophia Salinas:The whole
Amber Narro:month. The
Sophia Salinas:whole week. Yeah.
Amber Narro:Let's Yeah. Just just x out October, but definitely game day, which is gonna be on the seventeenth. Yes. So lots of people getting excited for this. This is you know, we're moving past that hundred year celebration, but just think to kind of the the the normal vibe of Southeastern, and it still feels like it's still the vibe of a hundred years because we just kinda created a culture around celebrating our university that's just sticking.
Amber Narro:Uh-huh. Momentum has kept up. Like it. Like it. Yes.
Amanda Hammonds:It is as it should be. Exactly. We should constantly be celebrating.
Amber Narro:Right. And I'd you know, we I think we all felt like, oh, hundred years. After that's over with, it's gonna, you know, kinda get gonna get back to normal place. Well, this is the normal pace now. Exactly.
Amber Narro:We just do things right here. We celebrate families. We celebrate our alumni. We celebrate our students. That's what we do.
Amber Narro:It's done. Community. Yes. Indeed. Alright.
Amber Narro:So, October 17 is the game. Yes. What are we looking forward to this year? Anything different or more of the same or just traditions? What are we what are we celebrating?
Amanda Hammonds:Yes. Just traditions and just togetherness. Yes. And just, yeah, coming, you know, we hope folks come back to campus and they get to see like the monument, you know, beautiful monument. Come by campus just to see the difference of campus.
Amber Narro:Indeed. It changes, know. Indeed. That beautiful monument is right in front of the library here on campus. It's gorgeous.
Amber Narro:It's so cool. It is marked with every year that Southeastern has had graduates and you can come and find your fin.
Sophia Salinas:Yeah. Call it a little fin. I love that.
Amber Narro:On the on the on the monument. Is absolutely beautiful and I I I just celebrate just the vision of the student government as well as our leaders here on campus who who marked the graduating years for everyone who's ever come through here and made everybody feel like, you know, it didn't matter what year you graduated. Right. Didn't matter about the hundredth year. It was every year that came from zero to a 100 that mattered.
Amber Narro:So. Exactly. It was a really intentional design. Yes. And really intentional effort and and we appreciate that
Sophia Salinas:for sure.
Amanda Hammonds:It sits right there in the center of campus. So.
Amber Narro:And for those of us with those green and gold degrees, we really appreciate having those there. Absolutely. Indeed.
Sophia Salinas:We do.
Amber Narro:And those are who you celebrate. Yeah. Every day. Right?
Sophia Salinas:Every day. And let's talk a little bit
Amber Narro:about the celebration that we can do around our alumni and around our our projects here on campus. You've got some things coming up for the fall. I know and you've got a list of things there. You you brought your phone. I saw it.
Amber Narro:Yeah. Before you came. What's on your list?
Amanda Hammonds:Well, first, I do want
Sophia Salinas:to say that.
Amber Narro:A list.
Amanda Hammonds:We recently mailed out our grad packs. So, to all of our our newly graduated students, we graduated about, just over 1,100 students in May. So be on the lookout. Was that
Amber Narro:your first graduation?
Amanda Hammonds:So that was yes.
Amber Narro:Yeah. Yes. So that was your first one? Yeah. So Amanda got to go up on stage and do the alumni pledge and and lead everybody through it and welcome all of the new grads.
Amber Narro:That was your first one. That's my first one. You did well.
Amanda Hammonds:Thank you.
Amber Narro:Very good. Can I can I talk about graduation first? So. Please. I was super nervous at graduation.
Amber Narro:Yeah. Because Doctor Picopio wasn't there and she said, can you do my part where you go up and you announce, you know, doctor Wainwright. Yes. I present to you all these graduates or whatever. Look, I had two sentences to read and can I tell y'all that I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday practicing?
Amber Narro:Rehearsed. I was a little nervous, dude. Of course. I like talking in front of people. Yes.
Amber Narro:I am not shy with a microphone. You put this thing in front of me. I'm a happy girl. But that made me nervous. I know.
Amber Narro:And I am to I I woulda I did okay. I did it. Did great. I did okay. And so did you.
Amber Narro:Yeah. Thank you. Were you nervous?
Amanda Hammonds:I was just because it's like, okay, this is not only is it a lot of people, it is a lot of people but it's more like, okay, what I'm about to say is so heavy and important. Yeah. And, you know, it's something that we've we've said a 100,000 times.
Amber Narro:And never appreciated it.
Amanda Hammonds:Yes. But it was it was neat. It was a neat moment.
Amber Narro:Right. And I think the thing that got me and I'm gonna give this advice to everybody because I did this and it was successful, so I'm gonna share it. Right? The thing that got me is they don't care about me in that moment. Absolutely.
Amber Narro:You know? Don't care about me. Yes. They care about what is coming out of my mouth Yeah. To celebrate their students.
Sophia Salinas:They are coming.
Amber Narro:It's this moment is not about me. Right. And I really went into it thinking that. You know, this moment is not about me. Yes.
Amber Narro:It is about them. Correct. It is about. So, if you ever have to speak to people. Yes.
Amber Narro:Know that it is not about you. Right. It is about the message and about what you are share it's about them. It's actually about your audience. And I don't know why.
Amber Narro:I I appreciate God for giving me that insight, but I'm sharing it. It's The moment is not about you.
Amanda Hammonds:No. And it's like, made me slow down because I wanted them to listen to what I'm saying right now. I did not write these words, you know, but these words stand for something that has been here for
Amber Narro:a hundred years. It is heavy.
Amanda Hammonds:It's big. This is something that you accomplished. You know, and it's just a neat moment to share with them. Just to be like a small, little, tiny, you know, dot with.
Amber Narro:Right. Right. So, yeah.
Amanda Hammonds:But it's no, it's not about me. This is about, you know, everything that's come before them and everything that they're about to about to do.
Amber Narro:Right. Yeah. It's in the message.
Amanda Hammonds:In the message.
Amber Narro:So I love it. I love Sophia, with the last year, you've you've served under two directors now Yes. And had had have had the pleasure of kind of watching alumni grow. Can you tell me by watching these two directors what has been the most impressive thing for you in member services?
Sophia Salinas:Oh, I think the most impressive has been watching relationships that I witnessed grow so organically and to see somebody like Austin who I just met at a few events and I said I'd love for you to come and volunteer and he did and he was wonderful and then he volunteered more and then he applied for the Gold Council to just see those organic relationships grow within our alums. It's just so cool to watch. And to see the different events that we've done and try different things out, see what people like to go to, what they wanna see, what they want more of has been so cool to watch. And just to be there for them and say, what do you need from us? What can we do for you?
Sophia Salinas:Has been really special.
Amber Narro:Indeed. Yeah. Alright. So we mentioned graduation. We mentioned things that are that are coming.
Amber Narro:What are we looking forward to for the fall? So, we're marking our calendar. What it is?
Amanda Hammonds:Our calendar. So, for the fall, we will, well, it's tailgate season. It's tailgate season.
Amber Narro:Sure. So, how we get a tailgate spot?
Amanda Hammonds:Awesome. So, that opens. I know our athletics will open up their tailgating August 3.
Sophia Salinas:Yes, that sounds right. Yeah. Okay.
Amanda Hammonds:So, that's when folks can go in and reserve their tailgating.
Amber Narro:Thank you, Lindsey Owens.
Sophia Salinas:Yes. Yes. Hi, Lindsey.
Amanda Hammonds:She's fantastic and that's coming up in the fall. A whole bunch of tailgating. So, we're excited to make those connections with our alums and with our campus. That's so important and then, we'll also have our our grad fair. It'll be here before
Amber Narro:we
Amanda Hammonds:know it.
Amber Narro:And alumni sets up at every homecoming by the way and you can go as an alum, get yourself a little ticket, get yourself something to eat.
Sophia Salinas:Yes. Yep. We have free food, free drinks. You just have to come, sign up, let us know that you're here, hang out with us. We have plenty of tables and chairs and come tailgate with us before every home game.
Amber Narro:We brought our little grandson, Noah. Brushes. Oh my gosh. Let me just tell you. I told the story because it's so sweet.
Amber Narro:Last year, we brought him to a home game. Doctor Doctor Wainwright, I had interviewed him on KSLU and he shamed me, right? Because I hadn't been to a game in a little while
Sophia Salinas:and I was
Amber Narro:like, okay. Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. You know, I talk about it all the time and I hadn't been for a little bit.
Amber Narro:So, he shamed me and I went into so I said, okay, I'm bringing Noah and we're gonna go. Noah thought it was Disney World. And he came to the he came, and he was super shy in the alumni tent, but then everybody started talking to him, he started putting on a show. Right?
Sophia Salinas:Mhmm. Oh, I love
Amber Narro:it. He was waving to the cheerleaders as they were coming by on the fire truck coming in, waving, did the lion up. I have the most adorable picture of him. And then we went into the thing. So he thought he was friends with the cheerleaders because they had waved to him.
Amber Narro:Right? And he goes into the he's four years old, right? And he's he's at the game and we're all we're celebrating and he sees the cheerleaders and they're they're throwing shirts. Somebody next to him got a shirt. Boy, he was mad.
Amber Narro:He's like, that shirt was meant for me. You know, because he thought that he was the only person in the stadium at that time, right? He was like, they, I was like, well, you get one, you get one, calm down. So, they threw another one. Didn't get that one.
Amber Narro:I'm telling you. He was like Tad Gummitt. Get no other shirt. He walks down, and he positions, and he gets ready. He gets attention.
Amber Narro:He gets the shirt. And when I tell you that we were in the stands, he ripped off his other shirt, put this one on that was nine times too big for his body, and stepped on the end of that shirt walking out of that stadium. He owned that shirt. That was his shirt. He so proud.
Sophia Salinas:He earned that shirt.
Amber Narro:He was so proud. So, we we have some great little memories forever on that and he it's super cute but he was not taking. I think he slipped in it that night. Now, he was so proud of that little white T shirt. How sweet.
Amber Narro:So sweet. So sweet. But he'll be coming back. This week. We had a ball.
Amber Narro:We had an absolutely one.
Sophia Salinas:It's so fun.
Amanda Hammonds:It's a fun time. I know.
Sophia Salinas:It is.
Amber Narro:Indeed. And it's family good, family It's family fun. Easy. You can let your kids run around in Friendship Circle. It's fantastic.
Amber Narro:They block it all off so there's no traffic going through and it's just awesome, fun, and just family friendly. So get your get your tailgate spots. Get ready.
Amanda Hammonds:Tailgate spots. Yeah.
Amber Narro:Indeed. Absolutely. Are they expensive?
Amanda Hammonds:I don't think so.
Amber Narro:No. I don't
Sophia Salinas:think so.
Amber Narro:No. They're not expensive. No.
Sophia Salinas:I don't think And you can
Amber Narro:reserve and you can get up the whole thing. So Yes. Absolutely.
Sophia Salinas:Season spot.
Amber Narro:Yes. Indeed. Get out there and go. So oh, sorry. I stomped you on that one.
Amber Narro:I didn't mean to. But see, that's not my lane. I'm staying in my lane narrow.
Sophia Salinas:We'll handle the fun part of it.
Amber Narro:Yeah, luckily. We handle the free food and drinks over at the big tent outside Puddle Hall. What else do you want from us? Very good. I love it.
Amber Narro:I love it. So get out there. You don't have it is a free time. So you don't even have to you don't even have to get a tent if you don't want to. You can just come out and celebrate with alumni.
Amber Narro:So Exactly. And it's a it's a fun that's what we did. That's exactly what we did with did that day. That is what Noah did. Oh god.
Amber Narro:Noah. Like Noah. He's disaster. But he loved Malayne. Malayne was there last year, so it was great.
Amber Narro:And speaking of Malayne and great leaders, we we mentioned kind of those leaders who came before you. Yeah. She is busy over at DeMelt, isn't
Amanda Hammonds:she? Yes.
Amber Narro:Yes. Absolutely. I'm anxious she's getting things rolling. So talk to me a little bit about about what's going on in development as a whole and how alumni fits in under that umbrella.
Amanda Hammonds:Yes. So so alumni is part of the foundation and development tree, if you will. And Melaine has done a really great job of reminding our division that we're in this together, We need each other. Alumni is a fantastic pipeline into the foundation and development world. So, it's just, it's a great reminder that, you know, we're we're one part of a really big team.
Amanda Hammonds:Yes. So and we love teamwork, we love to contribute to that and collaborate on things and it helps to know kind of what each person in our division does because it's almost like, okay, wait, I was I was working on that too. Let's work together on that. Or we're having an event and you know, someone may may be at this event that you need to be attending so you can build that connection with them to really, you know, have them support Southeastern.
Sophia Salinas:Are you
Amber Narro:catching your stride? You feel like you're catching your strides?
Amanda Hammonds:I I think so. Yeah. I kinda wanna it being here for six, seven months has has really helped remind remind me of, you know, what we're what we're all doing here, right? But I can't wait to kinda be here hopefully, hopefully for a year and I feel like I'll know kinda better what to do when, if that makes sense. When to get started on what project and and things like that.
Amber Narro:Indeed. As you're moving into the the future with this job and and you start thinking objectives and look, it took me three years to really kind of get to where I thought I had a stride, you know, in honors. And I feel like it's it's it I'm not so nervous because of the you talk about big responsibility and that big, you know, that big kind of change where you're just kind of getting used to the thing that you're doing. Right. And as you are continuing to to kind of impress upon your expert you're trying as you're continuing to, I don't mean impress in like a in like an impress your people kinda way but grow and grow.
Amber Narro:Try new things pull footprint down on it. Yes. As you're moving into that into that role, what are some of the big objectives that you can kinda see at this point where you're like, this is the thing that I wanna do while I'm here?
Amanda Hammonds:So it's really so our part of our strategic plan is that early engagement piece and I think we've done a really great job this past semester to get involved early. The student, I
Amber Narro:guess
Amanda Hammonds:journey, meet them at Lion Pride preview, meet them at orientation so they're not learning about alumni
Sophia Salinas:When they graduate.
Amanda Hammonds:Right, and that's so important that early engagement so that's something that we want to continue to be at these events, these recruiting events even is helping. Also we get to, the recruiting events have guests and family members who are alums. So we get to see them again which is important too, foster those relationships. And then also, we have alumni chapters all over and so make those connections with them, kind of help build our chapters up wherever we're needed to be. If they need some assistance or some support, we wanna be there for them.
Amanda Hammonds:And also that generational piece of this relationship with Southeastern can start early, can start, you know, with Noah. With Noah, absolutely. That's that's important. He's gonna remember that forever, hopefully, you know. So, and that that's important there too.
Amanda Hammonds:So, just kind of look for those not necessarily missing points but to really really help support and foster areas that we need to build upon.
Sophia Salinas:Bridge a gap.
Amanda Hammonds:Yes, bridge those gaps.
Amber Narro:I feel like there's a first generation kind of thing that could go on there as well. Absolutely. For these students who are coming in, first gen college students but the reason that I say that is because now, for us, we do have some generational impact in the narrow family. Jake and I both graduated from Southeastern. Our two oldest are Southeastern alum now.
Amber Narro:We're bringing Noah to the game. That generational impact is a big deal. It's a deal. I love it. I love it.
Amber Narro:Yeah, So let's figure out a way to celebrate those generations
Sophia Salinas:for sure.
Amanda Hammonds:Agree and we can, you know, really use our alumni board, our gold council to help foster those relationships even more too. Indeed. Yeah. Indeed. Alright.
Amanda Hammonds:Well, Amanda. Yes.
Amber Narro:I've got some ideas for you that I wanna chat with you about after after the show's over with so that we can we can start having these conversations again and and and reintroducing. But, I appreciate you coming by today and sharing with us what's going on in alumni. Is there anything that we're missing that we need to just get ready for? So October 17, put it on the calendar. Yes.
Amber Narro:Definitely.
Amanda Hammonds:On the calendar.
Amber Narro:There will be welcome events in the fall for all of our new students coming in, and definitely all the things that are normal for that surround alumni and and development in the fall including our our our all the dinners that celebrate our alumni of the year. Yes. When will alumni of the year be announced? Ish?
Sophia Salinas:September? September?
Amber Narro:Okay. So, just ahead of Homecoming. Just ahead of Homecoming. Very good. Looking forward to that.
Amber Narro:Alright. Well, thank you ladies. Sophia Salinas and Amanda Hammonds for coming here and sharing everything about the alumni programming here and celebrating Southeastern. We meet once a month to love on the Lion's and and love on our beautiful Southeastern Louisiana University. So we appreciate you coming in and
Amanda Hammonds:Thank you for
Amber Narro:having and continuing the love.
Sophia Salinas:Thank you for having us. Alright.
Amber Narro:And thank you for listening here on KSLU's ninety point nine FM The Lion. Join us again at 09:00 on Thursdays and Fridays. Very excited to have you guys. Happy summer. Stay inside.
Amber Narro:Enjoy some air conditioner or get in a pool. Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Stay unsunburnt. Y'all have a great day.
Amber Narro:I'm Amber Narro.
