At the NASP Convention in February, SASP board members had the opportunity to meet and recruit new members at APA Division 16’s booth in the exhibition hall. Interested students and faculty had the opportunity to talk to board members about what Division 16 and SASP have to offer and were encouraged to promote membership within their programs. This year we were able to recruit more than 50 new student affiliates, including students from 15 programs that do not yet have active SASP chapters. 

Being able to work at the Division 16 booth was an extremely rewarding experience for me personally. As Membership Chair, it was thrilling to have the opportunity to connect with students from other programs, some of whom I had communicated with through emails in the past. It was particularly interesting to hear what students’ perceptions of SASP are and their current level of involvement. There were many students who came from programs with active chapters, but for others this was the first exposure to SASP. Those of us staffing the booth were happy to share our own experiences and provide prospective members with materials highlighting the benefits of membership. 

As one of my goals for this year is to promote increased student involvement on the national level as well as collaboration between programs, it was extremely helpful for me to have the opportunity to solicit feedback and listen to ideas that students wanted to share. One of my favorite moments was when I was in the middle of a discussion with a student about how to start a SASP chapter at her program when another student joined the conversation with stories of successful events that his chapter had held.  The two struck up a conversation and exchanged contact information so that they could continue to discuss ideas for their respective programs. In a profession where it is all about relationships and networking, it is a privilege to be able to encourage and facilitate the development of these interactions between students.   

Overall, this year’s NASP Convention was a great success for SASP, and I was happy to be able to participate. I would like offer a warm welcome to our new members on behalf of the 2013 SASP Executive Board and encourage all of our members to stay involved by submitting to FSTP, joining our listserv, and contacting our board members with ideas or input. I encourage anyone with questions about membership, starting a chapter, or about SASP in general, to email me for further information. Members are also encouraged to submit a poster proposal for the 2013 Student Research Forum at the upcoming Annual APA Convention (July 31-Aug. 4, 2013). We hope to see you all in Honolulu!