Kate Hubbs is a sophomore from Camden, Tennessee, majoring in politics and international affairs with a triple minor in psychology, french and health policy and administration.

Despite taking on heavy academic demands, Hubbs finds time to follow her passion for music as the Headliners Programming Chair for Student Union.

What are you involved outside of the classroom?

I’m a member of the sorority Kappa Delta, where I have held leadership positions as a point leader and a member of the Sunshine Committee.

I have also served as a SET (Sisterhood Enrichment Team) leader in order to educate the new members about the history and values of Kappa Delta.

Outside of Kappa Delta, I am also the Headliners Programming Chair for Student Union.

This means that I lead a committee of 35 students that select and run the spring concert for this academic year. We are excited to bring The Chainsmokers with Sage the Gemini this spring.

What are some of Student Union’s biggest events?

As one of the largest event planning organizations on campus, Student Union is involved in a variety of events.

Some of our most well-known events are AwakeAllNight (once a semester), Homecoming, Springfest, Family Weekend and, of course, the Spring Concert.

We also plan smaller weekly events like Friday movies in Pugh and Tuesday Trivia in Shorty’s. It’s a great way to get involved on campus.

What made you want to join Student Union and how did you choose to work with the Headliners Committee?

I’ve always been passionate about music. When I saw the Student Union booth at the Activities Fair my freshman year and realized that there was a committee (Coffeehouse and Headliners) that plans specifically musical events, I decided to join.

During my entire freshman year I served on this committee and loved helping to showcase fun events. We planned Late Night Open Mic Nights in Shorty’s and had an acoustic series at Zick’s too.

I knew that I wanted to lead the committee for my sophomore year after assisting and shadowing Sarah King, the previous Headliners Chair, at the Timeflies concert.

What steps did you have to take to organize the spring concert?

I began brainstorming upcoming artists over the summer, but the work really started when I got my committee.

Together, in our weekly meetings, we brainstorm artists and compile a giant list that gets narrowed down as we gain more information about their availability in the spring and whether they are within our budget range.

Once we have narrowed the list down to about 30 artists that we know are somewhat available and are currently within price range, we send out a survey to the entire student body in order to see which artist(s) students would like to see.

Using this data, we work with an agency that contacts the managers of the artists.

Once we have determined our desired budget and artist, we contact the agency with three or four desired dates in order of our preference.

Then, the manager of the artist contacts us back with the date that will work for them. Since artist routing is so specific, whatever date they choose is the date that we go with.

Were there any challenges in organizing such a big event?

There are definitely bumps in the road along the way, but with such a great and supportive committee, Programming Council and Executive board, the problems we encounter aren’t as overwhelming as they would be if I were planning this event entirely by myself.

One of the challenges that we encountered was that many Greek organizations planned their annual Beach Weekend on the same weekend that The Chainsmokers chose to come to Wake Forest.

While we wish we could have accommodated everyone, there are so many events on campus that we had to plan around, and The Chainsmokers had such specific availability that we were limited to only a few options for where we could host such a big event for the student body. 

What has been the most rewarding part of chairing a committee in Student Union?

Honestly, meeting new people — especially meeting the freshmen — who are passionate about this school and about planning fun events for the entire student body to enjoy.

If I hadn’t joined Student Union, I would never have met some of the people who I now call my closest friends. On a more professional side, chairing a committee in Student Union gives you a lot of professional experience.

In my position, you learn how to work and collaborate with professionals in the music industry in order to create a spectacular concert — all while keeping within your budget.

Do you plan on pursuing a career centered around music or event planning?

Although I love music and I have loved learning about what goes on behind the scenes of concerts, I see this as more of a hobby than as a career.

I am currently on track to go to law school, so maybe I’ll end up doing entertainment law, but I’m still considering other options.

What would advice would you give to other students who are interested in getting involved with Wake Forest Student Union?

It’s never too late to join a committee. There’s no application to join any of the committees — you can just show up to any of our weekly meetings throughout the semester.

Even if you are like me, and have never had any experience in event planning before, Wake Forest Student Union is a great way to get involved on campus and it is also a great way to meet new people on campus.

Once you join Wake Forest Student Union, you will always know what is going on around campus. You also have the opportunity to collaborate with so many different organizations in order to create events for the entire student body.