Now, a lot of you probably have no idea who your student leaders are, or even what they do for you and your school. But there’s no need to feel ashamed about that because you aren’t alone in this. The average student has no clue that such a thing even exists on campus.

But I promise, it does.

When I was a freshman at Lewis-Clark State College, I was also one of those students who had no clue that student government existed on my campus. I was just an average student puttering through my first year of college, learning how to be an adult, and learning the ropes of college and the real world.

When second semester rolled around I found myself in a bit of a slump, struggling with classes, extremely homesick, and potentially depressed. At that point, I hated how I constantly felt like I was coming down with a cold, I hated that all I ever wanted to do was my homework and sleep, and I hated that I never felt good enough to go out with my friends.

I knew something needed to be done about this slump, so I texted my RA and set up a time to go and talk to her. During our talk, I realized I had so much extra time I had no idea what to do with it, so she suggested I find something productive to fill in all that extra time, like a club. I had no knowledge of any of the clubs on campus so I asked her what she would suggest. Student Government was one of the first clubs that she had mentioned, as she was a member of this club. I was very hesitant about it at first because I wasn’t quite sure what it all entailed, but after some research and consultation from my RA, I decided to apply for the open Senator position.

After filling out the application, panicking about that interview and then acing it, I became a Senator for the Associated Students of Lewis-Clark State College and my slump was no more. I was so busy working on projects and helping to improve students’ lives on campus I had no time to think about just being in bed all day or going home to my parents. My mind was constantly active and healthy and I was suddenly a much healthier person.

Becoming an involved student didn’t just improve my mind, it helped improve my overall health. Since then, I went from a generic Senator to Senate Pro-Tempore the following year. Now for my Junior year at LCSC, I am the Student Body President and I cannot wait to see what challenges and speed bumps come my way in my pursuit to help better the Institution as well as student life!