Ali Fernand- Editor-in-Chief
Q: How did you become SGA president?
A: “I got an opportunity because our last president stepped down to pursue an internship. One of my biggest goals coming to campus was to be SGA president. I said, ‘You know what, if it’s not now, it’s going to be never.’ Even if I’m a one-semester president, I could still say that I was president.”
Q: What do you plan on achieving?
A: “I hope to get my face out there for clubs and orgs to know who we are, what we do. I also want to develop our representatives. We have a lot of young representatives: first-years and sophomores. I want to make sure they have access and opportunities to learn from the old timers like myself. I don’t have a ton of time to set forth these gigantic initiatives like getting a world language requirement reduced or figuring something out with the LEP. It’s planting the seeds for future generations. I’ve also tried to promote committees and make sure the younger reps can be on the less strenuous committees so they can work their way up to the big positions.”
Q: What do you love about the university?
A: “My favorite is the sense of community that I’ve had here. A lot of my friends from high school didn’t come to Southern, so I had to push myself to get myself out there. When I joined the peer mentor program, I learned there’s a great community. It’s like a family. Sometimes, I like to make jokes about other universities. They treat you like numbers, but here, we treat you like people.”
Q: What struggles have you faced as SGA president?
A: “We jumped in at a very, very crazy time, not just at Southern but in the world as well. What I try to do is try to make sure every student feels heard, comfortable and safe, but sometimes, things get a little crazy. In my role, we try to calm things down a little bit, listen to our students, make sure they feel heard and validated. I feel a great community from my friends, SGA reps and peer mentors, but I also want to make sure the general student body feels great in their roles as well.”
Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?
A: “I describe myself as very energetic. I like to do my little dances, run around, all that crazy stuff. I’m not afraid to be a team player and act a little bit embarrassing to get a little bit of a laugh. I try to be personable with students. Some people say professionalism isn’t the strongest suit in my catalog but don’t worry. I know how to have my professionalism game on too. That’s just my style. Just be me. I don’t try to work a gimmick.”
Q: Why should students feel confident in your leadership?
A: “My passion is to be as open minded as possible. It allows me to learn from other students’ other perspectives. I’m here to represent an entire diverse group of students. I want to make sure I’m hearing every single perspective. We hear student concerns, and we try our best to work for it. One thing I try to do is encourage guests to attend our meetings. Sometimes, the attendance can be a little bit low, but whoever is interested in attending SGA, they’re open meetings. I encourage everybody to go. They’re Mondays, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the resource room.”
Q: Can you tell students a fun fact about yourself?
A: “I know how to rollerblade. I’m the one that rollerblades around campus. It saves the most amount of time. As a hockey player, I always want to find ways to skate because I don’t go to the ice rink as much as I should. I park in the West garage every day, and I skate. I like showing off. Sometimes, somebody asked me to do a trick. I’ll do a trick.”
