Tag: alumni
It’s #SSDPAlumniWeek 2020!
Register today for #Sensible2020: The Young People’s Drug Policy Conference
Great news! Early bird registration is now open for the biggest Students for Sensible Drug Policy event of the year, and for the first 24 hours only, we’ll be covering Eventbrite processing fees, saving you $15-30! #Sensible2020, the drug policy reform conference by and for young drug policy reformers, will bring nearly 400 chapter members, alumni, and allies to Baltimore,
SSDP rockstars presenting at Reform Conference
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is a proud co-host of The International Drug Policy Reform Conference, taking place on November 6th-9th in St. Louis, MO. Reform will bring together more than 1,500 people who believe that the War on Drugs is a fundamental threat to freedom and human rights. We are going to be hearing from a great variety of
We are the End of the Drug War
Photo: Nick Zettell ’09 with Ferris State University chapter. Credit: Mariah Gaither ’16. This post is part of a series written by SSDP Alumni for #SSDPAlumni Week. Join today! The world would be a better place without Students for Sensible Drug Policy. I truly believe that, with the caveat being that SSDP exists only as a reaction to the raging
The Importance of Staying Involved in our Community: A message from a new Alumni Member
This post is by Rachel Mass ’15 and is part of a series written by SSDP Alumni for #SSDPAlumni Week. Join today! In Spring 2015, the second semester of my freshman year at Kent State University, I decided to attend a documentary screening hosted by the Kent State University chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The documentary was The
The Power of the SSDP Family: A message from an alum of three chapters
Photo: from left to right, Samantha Wyler ’12, Robert Hofmann ’16, and Rachel Wissner ’11. Credit: Mariah Gaither ’16.This blog post is by Samantha Wyler ‘12 and is part of a series written by SSDP Alumni for #SSDPAlumni Week. Join today! There are many reasons why SSDP is such a special organization, it’s hard for me to think of how
It’s #SSDPAlumni Week 2019!
As the spring semester ends, many Students for Sensible Drug Policy members are graduating and moving on to the next chapter of their lives. Being a member of an SSDP chapter is a defining part of many students’ college experiences; but being an SSDPer doesn’t stop there! The SSDP Alumni Association provides a framework for our members to continue developing
Daniel Jabbour Scholarship Fund for SSDP2019
Daniel Jabbour ‘07, an SSDP all-star alumnus, passed away in April of 2014. To honor and remember him, SSDP created the Daniel Jabbour Scholarship Fund to help send outstanding activists to SSDP conferences. This year, the scholarship committee will be selecting a few SSDPers to attend SSDP2019: The Global Students for Sensible Drug Policy Conference. Daniel’s driving passions in drug
SSDP’s Top 10 Highlights of 2018
Students for Sensible Drug Policy did some amazing things in 2018. Our thoughtful, bright, and impressive young activists made huge strides towards SSDP’s vision of a post-prohibition future where safety, justice, and education are prioritized in drug policy. There’s no better time than right now to help us celebrate 20 years and the start of 2019 by making a year-end
Apply to become an officer of the SSDP Alumni Association
Founded in 2015, the SSDP Alumni Association created a formal avenue through which SSDP Alumni could interact with our students and network. Alumni Association activities include, but are not limited to: community building through independently organized events, mentorship of current SSDP students, and philanthropy efforts for the organization. Members of the Alumni Association receive special discounts and consideration for SSDP
Seven pieces of advice from my four years of success and failure
When I joined Students for Sensible Drug Policy four years ago, I knew nothing about drug policy. The names Michelle Alexander and Carl Hart meant nothing to me; the Controlled Substances Act and the Rave Act were merely headlines in the haze of Congressional action. There was no coverage for people in difficult legal situations due to use of drugs
From donor to chapter leader to board member to community health worker
I first found out about Students for Sensible Drug Policy in 2013 when I was only beginning to learn about the harsh realities of the War on Drugs. I decided to donate what I could at the time because I thought the work they were doing was so important and I did not see other student-run organizations that were willing
How SSDP helped me connect the dots
Like most college students, I spent my early years trying to find my place. I changed majors, schools, and longed to find my identity. In spring of 2015, I found a place within SSDP. When I walked into my first meeting at the University of Rhode Island, I instantly felt connected with those surrounding me. I phonebanked for cannabis legalization
Finding my passion for harm reduction
In high school, I dated someone who I thought was going to be my soulmate for almost 4 years. After watching his life change due to his chaotic relationship with opiates, and knowing I would never be able to help him, I became inspired to go to college and become a therapist specializing in substance use disorders. During and after
“I’m Sorry… Students for What?”
In 2016, I walked into a Contemporary Liberalism class at the College of Charleston. I was an aspiring Political Science Major with little to no direction. I had no idea what I wanted to be nor did I know what I wanted to do. I believe everyone goes through this at some point during their college tenure; I went through
How SSDP helped me get my dream job as a cannabis journalist
In the 13 years since I joined SSDP in my first semester at Franklin Pierce College, now University, nothing has been more formative in my development personally or professionally. The way that SSDP’s mission engaged me essentially gave me chances to challenge my situational apathy around problems I didn’t even know existed in the world as a teenager living in
It’s #SSDPalumni Week!
As the spring semester draws to a close, many students will be graduating and moving on from school to the next chapter of their lives. Being a member of an SSDP chapter is a defining part of many students’ college experiences; I know it certainly was for me! The SSDP Alumni Association aims to provide a framework for SSDPers to continue
The Conference Crash is Real! How to Decompress after #SSDP2017 – From the Archive
Written by SSDP Alum Irina Alexander. Originally posted March 30, 2017 3 days?! Was that really just 3 days? No way. It’d be against the rules of physics to squeeze that many new lifelong friendships, moving stories, cuddle (and huddle) puddles, and most inspiring panels in SSDP history all into the finite confines of 72 hours… right? If you’re like
Daniel Jabbour Scholarship Fund for SSDP2018
Daniel Jabbour ‘07, an SSDP all-star alumnus, passed away in April of 2014. To honor and remember him, SSDP created the Daniel Jabbour Scholarship Fund to help send outstanding activists to SSDP conferences. This year, the scholarship committee will be selecting a few SSDPers to attend SSDP2018: The Students for Sensible Drug Policy Conference and Lobby Day. Daniel’s driving passions
Finding my place in SSDP as an introvert
Sometimes I feel like an outsider, even when I’m with my closest friends, and most of my closest friends are SSDPers. While I usually feel like I could talk to everyone all night when I see my SSDP framily, there are many times when I’m not connecting with anyone and feel isolated in a room full of friends. I feel
Getting real at SSDP2017
A lot of things change when you graduate from school. Presumably after some undisclosed amount of time floundering you find a job, start to settle into your adult routine, and then BAM. All of the sudden you look around and you feel old af. Am I still that person who travels across the country for drug policy conferences? Should I
An open advice letter from an SSDP alum
Dear SSDP alumnus, Congratulations on your recent, impending or long forgotten graduation! If you are looking for helpful advice regarding job interviews or resume building you will surely have better luck scouring a reputable source such as Buzzfeed or Clickhole and compiling a list of Do’s and Don’ts for ‘adulting’. The first should be to stop referring to menial tasks
How SSDP helped me become a lawyer
It’s an understatement to say that SSDP has been influential in my life. Like so many others, I would not be where I am today (geographically, career-wise, relationship-wise, and more) if not for this organization. Let me tell you why. When I started college at the University of Maryland in 2009, I wanted to be a doctor and had only
Working With a Fellow SSDP Alumna: mentor, friend, and life-saver
When I first met Amanda Muller ’10, I was lying on a table to be a demonstration body for a naloxone training. The course of my undergraduate career changed after Amanda used me for a sternal rub demonstration and inspired my career pursuits. My impromptu drive from the University of Tennessee to Charleston, South Carolina, was under the pretext that
It’s #SSDPalumni week!
As the spring semester draws to a close, many students will be graduating and moving on from school to the next chapter of their lives. Being a part of an SSDP chapter is a defining part of many students’ college experiences, I know it certainly was for me! The SSDP Alumni Association aims to provide a framework for SSDPers to continue
