Student Government Assocation by Breanna

Student Government Assocation by Breanna - January 2023 Scholarship Essay

Student Government Association (SGA) might seem like an organization that focuses on politics, but it is so much more. I believe that students should take a class at their Institute/ University in Student Government. I have been a part of my Institute’s Student Government Association since my Sophomore year. I have learned and refined my skills by working with others and also gained knowledge in other departments that I had no previous knowledge of. Within the organization, each district (residence halls on campus and off campus) has one representative and then the executive board is made up of the President, Vice President, Executive Director, Secretary, and Treasurer.
I served as the district representative for the off-campus community of students and went to the board meetings where I got to discuss and vote on where and why we are spending the budget that we are given to other organizations on campus. Other clubs and organizations come to these meetings where they will present their case as to why they should receive extra funding from SGA. This allowed me to learn how to analyze a budget while also communicating to my constituents what events and changes were happening on campus. This also taught me how not everyone thinks the same way and discussions between people with different opinions are not always full-on arguments. It also taught me how to stand up for what I believe in and how to convince people that my beliefs are how we should vote.
Within this organization, there are also sub-committees within it such as finance, mental health, event, and constitution. During my Sophomore and Junior year, I was involved in the mental health committee where we would plan mental health events and then also had discussions with cabinet members within the Institutions. This allowed for more involvement in the well-being of the students and started great conversations with cabinet members. The cabinet members at my Institute also go to the SGA meetings and have open discussions with members about new ideas and concerns that have been brought to their attention as well as ask for feedback on what they are currently doing in their position. One of the cabinet members even serves as the advisor for SGA.
At the end of my Junior year, I petitioned to be a part of the Executive Board of SGA to get a better understanding of the inner workings of SGA. I was granted the position of Executive Director. The Executive Director plans all the events on campus as well as plans out all of the elections. This gave me the opportunity to plan large events with a diverse group of students as well as contact other people to plan those events. An example of this would be that I hosted and planned Rose Gala which is a formal event for students to enjoy music, dancing, beverages, and appetizers. This event took months of planning as well as countless amount of meetings with potential vendors to discuss music, decorations, and food options. This position has given me the experience to learn how to deal with a diverse group of students, plan large events, and figure things out when things do not go as planned.
While getting to work in my position I was also allowed to work with other people on the Executive Board within their positions. The Treasurer and I have worked many times together on getting vendors and companies to pay for events that I have held. I will use this knowledge when I am creating a budget for myself to help pay off Student Loans and other expenses. I also worked with the Vice President when working to create an agenda for the meeting, since they run the meetings during SGA. My experiences with the Vice President have allowed me to learn how to take control of a room when it becomes out of control or when everyone is paying attention to me. This is a quality that I can use when presenting something to a group of people or if I ever need to run a meeting. The Secretary and I worked together when creating surveys for the students and comparing notes taken during the meetings. I can use this experience when later collaborating with other people and when wanting to receive feedback from others. The President and I worked a lot together with regard to planning events, social media accounts, and getting a broader spectrum of students involved on campus. My exposure to working with the President taught me how to delegate tasks, run a social media account, and plan my time out well so that I can be most efficient with the time I have.
I believe that my time at SGA has given me so many experiences that I will be able to take with me after graduating and help me when I get a job. I have already used some of my experience with being able to talk about them in job interviews, and when entering a scholarship application. If this was a class students could gain more knowledge about their Institute/ University as well as gain deeper connections with people who do, make changes on campus. Life skills such as creating a budget and commanding control of a room are two big examples of things that students may not know how to do after graduating.