Alex Richards
Alumni — Viejas Arena Event Supervisor
Title:
Associated Students, Student Success Stories
Scene:
B-roll of Alex walking, interacting, shooting.
Alex Richards:
“My name is Alex Richards, I am the Event Supervisor at Viejas Arena and the Cal Coast Open Air Theater. As an SDSU student, I started off as a event staff, made my way up to an event staff supervisor, and then eventually house manager. Upon graduation, I took on the full time role as the event supervisor.”
Scene:
Broll of Alex interacting with student staff members in and around Viejas Arena.
Alex Richards:
“My role as the event supervisor is to supervise and mentor the part time staff, many of which are SDSU students and I also oversee the student staff as well and I’m in a leadership role so that they can be as successful as they can be in their college career.”
Scene:
Broll of Alex interacting with student staff members in and around Viejas Arena.
Alex Richards:
“Any student looking to get involved on campus should definitely look at Associated Students. It’s a family atmosphere and I feel like everyone welcomes everyone with open arms and they’re willing to provide that positivity and support for a student’s career. Like a lot of students, I didn't really know what my purpose was as a college student but A.S. provided me that with Viejas Arena. I made friends that I know are gonna be life long friendships, and it’s given me an opportunity not only to begin my career but advance my career as well. Associated Students has not only provided me with a foundation but it’s provided me with the ability to grow and figure out who I truly am and where I want to go in life and I just want to thank Associated Students for that.”
Scene:
Broll of Alex interacting with student staff members in and around Viejas Arena.
Text:
“Find out more at AS.SDSU.EDU. Find us on facebook @ASSOCIATEDSTUDENTSSDSU or on Snapchat, Twitter, and instagram at @AS_SDSU”
Alex Richards was at a crossroads in life. He was employed at a marketing firm and about to graduate from San Diego State, but didn’t know what he really wanted to do in life. As luck would have it, an opportunity arose with an organization Alex had always loved: Viejas Arena, a service of Associated Students of SDSU.
Alex first got involved with A.S. as a student, when searching for a job that could accommodate his busy school schedule. He then found a part-time position as events staff for Viejas Arena and the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre. After joining, Alex rapidly climbed the student employee ladder until he was promoted to the highest part-time employee position offered: House Manager. The next step would have to be a full-time position.
It just so happened that Alex’s boss had moved on and a full-time position had opened up. Through his hard work and dedication to the organization, Alex secured the full-time position of Viejas Arena Events Supervisor.
“It [Getting the job] allowed me to remain with Associated Students and gave me the opportunity to grow,” Alex said.
As the Events Supervisor, Alex supervises and mentors the student staff, knowing that only a couple years ago, he was in their position. In addition, after working as the Events Supervisor, Alex realized that continuing to work for A.S. after graduation was truly the place for him.
“A.S. gives students the knowledge and tools of how to run a business because it is a business,” he stated. “It's not a playground or a mock business. It’s legitimate and run by students. It kind of sets the bar for how student-organizations should be run.”
Through working with A.S., Alex has acquired lifetime professional skills such as customer service and patience. He also knows that since he is on the front line of many situations, he must remain calm, keep his composure and not to sweat the little things in life.
As he continues his career working for A.S., Alex knows that his job continues to allow him to reach his goals of growing as an individual and in his career.
“Associated Students has not only provided me with a foundation but it has provided me the ability to grow and figure out who I truly am and where I want to go in life,” Alex said.
