Junior Chandler Saul is an involved member of the campus community, serving on the Student Orientation Staff and as a manager for the men’s basketball team.
Saul’s drive to help others was realized when he joined SOS, something he said he wished he would have done sooner.
“It’s probably the best decision I’ve made in college. It’s a great way to meet people and help the freshmen that are coming in and help them make the transition from high school to college,” he said. “It’s awesome. I wish I would’ve done it the summer after my freshman year.”
This is Saul’s first year on the Student Orientation Staff, which aims to help first-year students transition into college life. The group is known for its bright orange shirts and participation in Welcome Week each semester.
“SOS helped me affirm my belief where I get to help people,” he said. “It was very gratifying and rewarding. I want to do physical therapy so being in SOS reaffirmed my belief in that.”
Saul is an exercise science major with a focus on physical therapy and athletic training, which eventually led him to become involved with the men’s basketball team.
Saul said the summer of his freshman year, a flier was posted advertising a manager position within the sport.
“I’m trying to go into the exercise field and I figured it would be useful and I could build connections and [get] free gear,” Saul said.
Now in his second year with the team, he said, “I’m glad that I’m able to call them my guys.”
“Traveling with the team is fun because you get to go to different states and experience the world, and see different arenas and different atmospheres,” Saul said.
Chandler said the new guys on the team have impressed him, but he has high hopes for one player specifically.
“We have this one guy from Bowling Green. We call him Glory. He’s like 6 foot 10,” Saul said. “He can be useful in pick and roll. He has a good vertical. I think he’s gonna be really good.”
Saul praised the team for its performance in recent practices and said he had some experience playing one team member while in high school.
“I played against Javion Guy-King. As far as what I’ve seen in practice, I think we have a good shot,” Saul said. “I think we’re gonna make noise in the conference that people aren’t expecting.”
Saul said that UCA is the right fit for him.
“I think UCA is the perfect size for me at least. It’s not too big, but it is big enough where you can meet someone new every single day,” he said. “You can create relationships with your professors as well and it doesn’t feel like high school 2.0.”
