On Sunday, April 23 my term as student government president came to an end. In many ways it’s bittersweet. I am very much looking forward to grad school and everything it has to offer but I feel like I am leaving a piece of me behind… I am leaving home.
As a transfer student, I never thought that I’d be able to get as involved as I did. I have always been someone that believes in getting involved with the community that you are a part of and building relationships with the people in it. I did that well at my previous institution until COVID happened. At the end of my sophomore year, I decided I needed a fresh start… for many reasons. I sent one transfer application, and the rest is history.
I knew I wanted to get involved in student government as it is something that I have done everywhere I have been. I have a streak of being president at every school that I’ve been at. I was the student Council President both in high school and middle school and served as the only student representative in elementary school, but I had to start small, so I decided to run for a vacant Senate seat on the Class of 2023 board. In that first year, we worked on many projects, but the project I most vividly remember is Mr. SHU.
As my junior year came to an end, Student Government elections were about to be in full swing. I had set my eyes on the presidency but questioned my decision every moment:
“Do I have any idea what I’m doing?”
“I’m new I’m not going to have buy in from anyone.”
“Why would people support me and my initiatives when they are shaking the very ground that they are standing on.”
After being elected, I will never forget being told “you are going to be a transition president, from the old constitution to the new. Not much will get done.” CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! In a way, all my negative thoughts from before the election had come true but I was determined to have a successful year.
During my term I worked across departments of our campus to ensure the everyday success of every student. One of my goals was to make sure that there was a student voice where historically there wasn’t one. Coming from a public four year institution, things were very different at a private university. I wanted to ensure that the student voice was represented, many times I would wiggle my way onto committees, to make sure that this was being done. One thing that I wanted to make sure is and I have worked on even after my term ended was institutionalizing this. That way it does not die with me, students will continue to serve and build relationships with departments across campus
I am proud of everything that I worked on but there are two that stand out. I founded the library textbook reserve program, that now allows students to acquire textbooks for their classes free of charge. I additionally founded and co-chaired the Provost Student Advisory Council (PSAC), where we met with the Provost, monthly to discuss academic happenings at our institution. There were many other wins over the past year, but these are a couple that I am proud of.
I want to thank those members of Student Government that made my life easier by supporting me and and fostering a positive relationship within Student Government. Wishing the new president and her cabinet the very best of luck!
