Aaron Ashton: A Sneak Peek at Leading the UWG Blue Coats
Photo courtesy of Aaron Ashton
Aaron Ashton is a UWG senior who is currently the president of the Blue Coats. The Blue Coats is a group of student leaders on campus who enhance the impact of the Division of University Advancement. They do this by building and furthering relationships with UWG's alumni and informing them of the university's current needs.
Ashton first joined the Blue Coats in the spring of 2019 because of his love for UWG. At that time he served as the vice president of administration. Ashton has held various leadership positions during his time at UWG. However, in the spring of 2020 he accepted his biggest position yet as president of the UWG Blue Coats.
Because Ashton had never served as an organization's president before, he had some worries about his performance. However, his dedication to the Blue Coats has made his presidency successful. One accomplishment as president that he is proud of is his induction of 18 new members into the organization just a few weeks ago.
"This is the first time in my student career that I get to serve as president," said Ashton. "The move from behind the scenes to the face of an organization has been an adjustment, but it has been a good one. Overall my experience as president of the Blue Coats has been fantastic."
Although Ashton has had success with his Blue Coats presidency so far, it has not been without challenges. The Blue Coats mission is carried out through hosting events and connecting with alumni. As a result, Ashton has had to work through the pandemic for the organization to operate safely.
"In normal times Blue Coats is always at events connecting with alumni and helping wherever possible, so the pandemic has greatly restricted what we can do as an organization," said Ashton. "Thankfully we have been able to conduct smaller events, so that our available members can still connect with alumni and donors to make those valuable connections."
One goal Ashton has as president of the Blue Coats is to hold more personalized events for the members. The pandemic has posed a challenge for him in this way too, but he is thankful that he has received more clarity on what the organization can do this semester. The Blue Coats were recently able to safely hold the annual Blue Coats Reveal, which is an event where new members are inducted into the organization. The Blue Coats will also be turning to virtual events this semester such as an upcoming virtual trivia night in which members will get the chance to bond with one another.
"For next semester, I am cautiously optimistic that we will be able to do more in-person events and return to some sense of normalcy within Blue Coats," said Ashton.
Another goal of Ashton's is to collaborate with other student organizations on campus. He has already led the Blue Coats in collaboration with the Student Government Association for their Wear Pink Wellness Walk in October.
Ashton enjoys being a member of the Blue Coats as it allows him the opportunity to give back to UWG. He encourages students to consider applying to be a Blue Coat, especially if they love the university as much as he does. His favorite thing is to have new members join and be able to watch them grow. "As president of the Blue Coats, I enjoy getting to see my members' accomplishments," said Ashton. "The members that I get to lead are talented students, and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be their president. I can say with confidence that they will all go on to do amazing things in the world."
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