Get to Know CAB: Alex Ballard

By: Sarah Grace Smith

Alex Ballard

Alex Ballard

Meet Alex Ballard, the team lead and whova app lead of our Conference Advisory Board. He is graduating from Chapman University and will be attending law school. He dreams of being a civil law attorney. To get to know him more, I interviewed Alex on his Mortar Board experience and his personal life. We hope this blog post helps our Mortar Boards feel closer to the passionate and energetic Alex that we know.

Why is Mortar Board important to you?

Alex: For me, Mortar Board’s important because it’s given me the opportunity to connect with other students that I normally wouldn’t have met, both at my university and at a national level. I really enjoy having the opportunity to make an impact and develop my leadership in various roles I’ve served in.  I’m looking forward to hopefully future leadership opportunities to contribute even more.

What is your favorite Mortar Board memory?

Alex: The first time I attended the National Conference in 2018. It was really at the conference where I got my first exposure to Mortar Board on a national level, and I got to meet so many incredible people that I still talk to today from across the country. That conference was what sort of sparked my enthusiasm for Mortar Board and really instilled this passion in me that I brought back to my chapter.  It was such a great memory. I’ll definitely never forget that.

Who or what inspires and motivates you?

Alex:  It’s not really a specific person. I’m someone who very much enjoys working in a group or team setting. I’d say that a lot of what motivates me as a leader is those around me that I’m working with. When I see someone doing great work, or someone has great ideas, it pushes me even more to contribute. If someone has a great idea, I want to figure out how I can help to bring it to fruition.

Alex Ballard in front of Ellen sign

If you won $100 million in the lottery today, what would you do with it?

Alex: Oh Gosh. Well, practically, I’m going to law school in the fall so I’d pay for law school, obviously, but there’d be a lot left over. Honestly, I’ve always thought it would be really cool to donate money to my university and have my name on a building or something. I want to strive for that, to be that alumni one day who is well known and provides a lot of money for scholarships. I’d love to give to my school and community in some way because $100 million is a lot of money. I don’t need that much.

If you were shipwrecked on a deserted island with all your basic needs taken care of, what two items would you want with you?

Alex: Can I say my dog? I’ll say my dog because I can’t imagine not being with him. And probably my laptop, assuming there’s internet connection. Maybe not, but I couldn’t live without my laptop and the internet. I’d have my dog and my laptop. We’d chill and watch some Netflix together.

What song do you always have to sing along to, no matter where you are?

Alex: That’s actually an easy answer because I’ve been doing that a lot this week. I love the song “Waterloo” by Abba, but the Cher version though, from Mama Mia 2. It’s great.

Alex Ballard with friends

What’s the last gift you gave someone?

Alex: For one of my friends’ birthdays, I got him a pair of fun socks and a giftcard to a place that we’d always go and get food together. He opened it and was like, “Do you want to go now?” So, we just went and got food then. That was really cool.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?

Alex: I would say it’s definitely my work ethic and determination. Compared to a lot of people, I feel like I work really hard and I have a good focus. I definitely am not one to give up, and I feel like I can manage a lot decently well.  I want to get things done, make sure I do things on time and am there for people.

What would you say to members thinking about going to our virtual conference?

Alex: I would highly recommend attending the virtual conference to connect with Mortar Board leaders, which is even more important given that we are all apart right now. The conference is going to have great programs that will make you prepared to run your Mortar Board chapter and incredible opportunities to connect with your peers and national leaders. It is easier than ever before to attend conference, so take advantage of this time to become a better leader and build important relationships with others.