"When I was thinking about my future, I wanted soccer to be a part of my college experience, and my club coach (Seacoast Bedford) suggested that I check out the University of Southern Maine. I reached out to the coaching staff, took a tour, loved it and committed shortly thereafter."

It was that quick for University of Southern Maine senior Aly Veilleux – co-captain of the women's soccer team and president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
"Soccer was a big reason, and when I got on campus, met with the team and coaches this was a place that felt like it could be home."

Choosing Marketing as her program of study, Aly settled into her first year on the campus of the University of Southern Maine, balancing her academic and athletic responsibilities as a student-athlete. But before long, Aly began her journey with Huskies' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

"Shout out to Rona Scott (former SAAC president and four-year member of the Huskies' softball team)," noted Veilleux. "Rona reached out to me, and thought I would enjoy being a part of SAAC, and she was right."

A student-led organization comprised of members from each of USM's 23 intercollegiate teams, Huskies' SAAC serves as a liaison between the student-athlete body and the Department of Athletics. Meeting on a bi-weekly basis, SAAC addresses issues relevant to student-athletes, works to improve the overall student-athlete experience, share the student-athlete experience with campus and local communities, and seeks to build a greater connection between all of the Huskies' teams and the greater Gorham Community through various outreach programs.

"SAAC became a big part of my experience as a student-athlete, and it was a great way to get to know other student-athletes early on," noted Veilleux. "Actually, the Strong Girls United field day event that SAAC took part in during my freshman year is my favorite event that we've ever done."

Hosted in 2021 at Hannaford Field, Strong Girls United and SAAC  (led by then SAAC president and former Husky track & field national champion Sophia Slovenski) and welcomed area girls to a "field day" event for a day of activity and empowerment.
"It was such a fun day," said Veilleux. "You could tell that these little kids really looked up to us as student-athletes, and that we had an opportunity to make an impact."

Since her early role as a member of SAAC as a first-year student-athlete in 2021, Aly has grown in her leadership, and in her leadership role. Elected as the student-organization's Secretary in 2023, and as its President in 2024, Aly has advocated for student-athlete well-being, and has been a driving force in a variety of service-forward programming.

"As Secretary, my role was to make sure information was provided to each team and each student-athlete about our upcoming planning meetings, documenting student-athlete ideas and concerns, and sharing plans with teams and representatives," said Veilleux. "And now, as President, I have a greater role in the execution of the events. It's been a good growth experience and pretty great to be able to see plans come to life."

Aly and members of SAAC have annually coordinated Thanksgiving Food Drives to donate to Preble Street, planned a variety of in-game promotions at Husky basketball games in collaboration with the Campus Activities Board, and interacted with high school and middle school students during speaking engagements around National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and NCAA Division III Week.

Nationally-recognized for its on-going and one-time community service projects and events, Huskies' SAAC has earned numerous awards since its creation in 1996, beginning with the USM's Outstanding Student Organization Award and the Josten's NADIIAA Community Service Merit Award. In 2019, USM SAAC earned the top honor from the National Association of Division III Athletic Directors (NADIIIAA) for its Unified Sports Program with the inaugural honor of the NADIIIAA Community Service Award for Special Olympics Activity. 

Possibly one of the most anticipated SAAC-led events each year is the Husky Community Halloween Party. Honored with the NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit five times, the Husky Community Halloween Party is a free, fun family event for area children to celebrate Halloween with games, candy and light-hearted interaction with Southern Maine student-athletes.

"The Halloween party, it's a lot of work, but it is the most fun," said Veilleux.  "Every year we are all so excited to put on this event and I am always joking 'can we make this go longer?!" I'm pretty sure the athletes are enjoying themselves just as much – if not more than – the kids that come to the event."

SAAC has also taken on serious issues as well, including Mental Health Awareness.  Starting with the organizations "Kick The Stigma" event in 2018 - which was named the University's Event of the Year, and earned a national citation from the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators in for its Mental Health Awareness events and programing category – SAAC has made the conversation about mental health important to its plans.

This year, Aly and members of SAAC played a significant role in the Athletic Department's Wade Millett Memorial Foundation games during the 2024-2025 Husky basketball season. Partnering with NAMI Maine and the Millett Foundation to advocate for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Resources (in the state and on campus), Aly helped coordinate the event and appeared on a NAMI Maine podcast.

And, later this spring on April 12, USM SAAC is sponsoring a field day with Special Olympics Maine. Honoring a long-standing partnership with Special Olympics Maine, members of the Husky student-athlete community will be at Hannaford Field participating in a bunch of games, contests and camaraderie.

"Special Olympic events are so great," said Veilleux. "All of us student-athletes can easily share how sport has made a positive impact in our lives, and events like the one on the 12^th are a way to share that experience. I like to think that SAAC makes inclusivity an important part of what we do."

With her time as a Husky student-athlete winding down, as well as her leadership role within SAAC, Aly encourages her peers to get involved.

"Get involved. Being a member of a team, and SAAC, and even being involved in my major has made my college experience better than it could have been if I only stayed in one lane."

As a Marketing major, Aly wants to land a role ideally in the sports world. Attending a variety of events and using the resources available to her at the Career & Employment Hub at the University, and working as a student-employee in the Athletic Department in Operations, Game Management and Athletic Communications have helped her build her practical resume, while her involvement with SAAC has helped sharpen her leadership and organizational skills.

In addition to all that, Aly has been a member of three Little East Conference Championship teams with Huskies' women's soccer.

"Being a student-athlete has been rewarding. The Athletic Department does a good job of making its students feel valued. And my time with my team has been amazing. It's been cool to see the progression of our team throughout the seasons. There have been some really high moments, obviously, winning championships.  But I really like the moments where we had to work through challenges because it shows how strong we are as a team, and how close we are to each other as well."

When pressed to pick a favorite of her team's three championships (2022, 2023 and 2024), Aly was quick to respond. "Definitely the first. I was literally sobbing, and the fans stormed the field. I have literal goosebumps."
 
Completing her degree in Marketing later this academic year, Aly is a three-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, and earned College Sports Communicator Academic All-District honors in her career.  During her time as a member of the Huskies' women's soccer team, Southern Maine had a record of 60-13-10 (24-4-3 Little East), including undefeated seasons in-conference during 2023 (6-0-2) and 2024 (7-0-1).

 

Awards and Honors
2000-2001	USM Outstanding Student Organization Award, Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit
2002-2003	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit
2003	USM Outstanding Student Organization Award
2003-2004	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit
2004-2005	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit
2005-2006	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit
2006-2007	USM Outstanding Student Organization Award, Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit
2008	USM Outstanding Student Organization Award, USM Outstanding Contribution to Community Service Award
2009	USM Outstanding Contribution to Community Service Award
2010-2011	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Honorable Mention (Array of Projects Category)
2012-2013	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Honorable Mention (On-going Project Category)
2013-2014	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Honorable Mention (On-going Project Category)
2015	USM Outstanding Contribution to Community Service Award
2016	USM Outstanding Contribution to Community Service Award
2017	USM Outstanding Contribution to Community Service Award
2018	USM Event of the Year Award
2018	Josten's NADIIIAA Community Service Honorable Mention (One-Time Project Category).
2019	NADIIIAA Community Service Award Winner (Special Olympics Activity Category)
2019	NADIIIAA Community Service Award of Merit (Array of Projects Category)
2022	USM Outstanding Student Organization Award
2023	USM Outstanding Student Organization Award; Event of the Year (Husky Pack Chats)
2024	USM Outstanding Student Organization Award