Hello, my name is Makayla Vasek, and I am serving as the 2026 Presidential Scholar Intern while completing my Master’s of Higher Education and Students Affairs at the University of South Carolina. To be transparent, when I started my graduate program a year ago, I could not have told you what SACSA even stood for. But after encouragement from my professor and recent Gavel and Gravel Honoree, Dr. Dorian McCoy, I decided to apply for the role!

After graduating from “COVID college” in 2022 and working for a few years in the education abroad space, I made the decision to come back to school full-time, partly to take back my two years of online coursework, but also so that I could fully dive into different opportunities and explore functional areas across campus. As a regular conference-goer in my prior role, I have always been impressed and curious about the numerous moving parts behind the regional and national higher education conferences. And more importantly, how an event with 100s or even 1000s of attendees can feel like a tight-knit community that brings people back every year. When the opportunity came across my inbox to step behind the scenes of SACSA’s annual conference, it just made sense for me to put my name in the hat.

Since joining the Executive Council, I have been able to make connections with administrators across the region, sit in on monthly planning meetings, and learn how to manage and balance a large organizational budget. Budgeting is a skill that I sought to develop in graduate school, so being able to listen to these discussions and learn how priorities change year-by-year and or even month-by-month has been very eye-opening.

Looking forward to the remainder of my term, I am excited to not only be attending my first SACSA conference (!), but also to be leading the charge on a Micro-Mentorship Program that will provide new and early career professionals an opportunity to meet and build connections with senior-level administrators at the conference. As a graduate student, I understand how even a 15-minute conversation can lead to new connections and career paths. I look forward to building relationships in Greenville, South Carolina, in just two short months. See you there!

Interested in Applying to Be the 2026-2027 SACSA Presidential Scholar?

Applications are now open!

The Presidential Scholar is a year-long, hands-on internship designed for a first-year master’s student enrolled in a College Student Affairs graduate preparation program. The Scholar works directly with the SACSA President (currently the President-Elect) throughout the President’s term, gaining valuable leadership and professional development experience.

Presidential Scholar Responsibilities

• Assist the President with projects and initiatives
• Attend the Mid-Year Meeting with the Executive Council
• Support the planning and execution of the 2027 SACSA Conference with NASPA Region III

Presidential Scholar Benefits

• Complimentary registration for the SACSA Annual Conference
• One year of paid SACSA membership
• Paid travel to attend the Mid-Year Meeting