We’re in the middle of elections for Student Government with fourteen students in the running for senate positions and two students running for the position of treasurer. The positions of President, Vice President and Secretary have already been filled. Congratulations to the victors and best of luck to those in the running.
During election season, the term “Student Leader” will often come up. What exactly does this term mean? Well, the truth is that it can have multiple meanings, seeing how the idea of leadership means different things to different people. Rather than simply give you my idea of what a Student Leader is, I’ve reached out to a number of other prominent “Student Leaders” to get their take. Here’s what they had to say.
“A student leader is a person that believes and trusts himself or herself and knows how to guide and push his or her team to the be their best.” -Claudia Osuna, President of ASWNMU
“Being a student Leader is being able to make decisions for the greater whole of the student body even if some don’t believe that your decisions are correct. Doing so with confidence and unbiased-ness is a key element.” -Dylan Kester, Vice President of ASWNMU
“A student leader to me is someone that leads by example, a person that goes above and beyond to help others in any way that they can. Someone that is approachable and other students feel that they can go to for help, or sometimes just a chat.” -Harry Wetton, Attorney General of ASWNMU
“What a leader means to me is that they are there to guide not to order. A leader is a role model, not a person who says do what I say, not what I do. They are there to help navigate difficult times that people are going through. Ultimately a leader is a person who is ready to say ‘I am ready to stand beside my team and the people I represent, and do the very best I can to support everyone.'” -Kaity Ellis, President of National Federation for the Blind, New Mexico Chapter, ASWNMU Senator
“[A student leader is] an individual who devotes their time and effort to help students succeed. They go out of their way to help others, but are still able to be successful themselves. I would say that they are someone capable of meeting others in the middle.” -Linzy Granger, President of SAAC, ASWNMU Senator
” [A student leader] is someone who isn’t afraid to be the voice of others, someone who wants to make a difference, someone who is humble and makes positive changes without awaiting credit. Someone who will go above and beyond of what is “expected.” Someone who can handle difficult situations and turn it into a positive, someone who is not afraid to take the heat for the team.” -Arlean “Chiquis” Murillo, Student Regent of WNMU Board of Regents, Former ASWNMU Vice President
“A leader should lead. They don’t control or dominate, but rather they serve as guides. The best leaders are those that lead by example, that aren’t afraid to work with their team as opposed to lording over them. A good leader never places themselves on a pedestal. They are in the trenches and working to get things done. A good leader understands that they must be respected by their team in order to be successful and that respect is earned through hard work and dedication, but also with compassion and understanding and of course, the respect must be mutual.” -Eric Lowe, Editor of the Mustang Newspaper, President of the WNMU Philosophy Club
“[A student leader is] someone who leads by example, does the right thing, and isn’t scared to do it. A leader must be able to be apart of a team, speak for the students who don’t have a voice, and have passion to help students and to give 100% effort in everything you do.” -Gabby Begay, Former Student Regent on the WNMU Board of Regents, Former ASWNMU President
What qualities do you feel a leader should have? Can you name any good leaders throughout history?
Also, voting for ASWNMU elections opens today. A link to the ballots can be found on our Facebook page.
