By: Anna Rhodes, College of Human Sciences and Education, President
When you look at the Make It Matter ticket, you will more than likely find that more than half of the candidates said that they would never run for a student government position, and yet here they are, eating their own words and supporting Helen and Wesley.
But WHY? Why all of a sudden have ALL of these people completely changed their opinion about student government?
Well I’ll tell you. Because I was without a doubt one of those people that wanted nothing to do with college politics.
When I was first asked to join the campaign, I was extremely reluctant. I honestly just didn’t have the heart to say that I had no desire whatsoever to join this campaign and become one of those people in free speech plaza that hand out buttons that I so fervently avoid on the daily.
And so, because I am a weenie and didn’t have the courage to say no, I went to an informational meeting. Just to show my face.
That was where I had a complete change of heart. After listening to Helen and Wesley speak so passionately about their campaign, I could never say no. They spoke about how they wanted to go about this entire election process differently, which sounds super cliché, but I truly do believe that they are approaching everything with a sort of desire and enthusiasm for change that I have never genuinely seen in people who are running for an office.
In one of the campaign’s promotional videos, Brian Lazo says that he feels that Helen and Wesley are running more based on, “what to vote for, rather than who to vote for,” and his quote stuck out to me for a reason. Because Helen and Wesley are not just trying to win this election for an impressive resume or to be the faces of LSU through student government.
They care about starting a movement within LSU through student government to make all students feel as if their opinions and passions will be heard (or matter, if you will).
The reason so many people on this ticket had that same change of heart that I had is because we listened to Helen and Wesley, and they in turn listened to us. They made us feel important and necessary and relevant not only within this campaign, but also as a student who can make a difference at this university.
That is why I joined their campaign. With them, I feel like I can also empower students to feel this same passion and feel like they are relevant and that they are important and that they do matter.
When you look at the Make It Matter ticket, you will more than likely find that more than half of the candidates said that they would never run for a student government position, and yet here they are, eating their own words and supporting Helen and Wesley.
But WHY? Why all of a sudden have ALL of these people completely changed their opinion about student government?
Well I’ll tell you. Because I was without a doubt one of those people that wanted nothing to do with college politics.
When I was first asked to join the campaign, I was extremely reluctant. I honestly just didn’t have the heart to say that I had no desire whatsoever to join this campaign and become one of those people in free speech plaza that hand out buttons that I so fervently avoid on the daily.
And so, because I am a weenie and didn’t have the courage to say no, I went to an informational meeting. Just to show my face.
That was where I had a complete change of heart. After listening to Helen and Wesley speak so passionately about their campaign, I could never say no. They spoke about how they wanted to go about this entire election process differently, which sounds super cliché, but I truly do believe that they are approaching everything with a sort of desire and enthusiasm for change that I have never genuinely seen in people who are running for an office.
In one of the campaign’s promotional videos, Brian Lazo says that he feels that Helen and Wesley are running more based on, “what to vote for, rather than who to vote for,” and his quote stuck out to me for a reason. Because Helen and Wesley are not just trying to win this election for an impressive resume or to be the faces of LSU through student government.
They care about starting a movement within LSU through student government to make all students feel as if their opinions and passions will be heard (or matter, if you will).
The reason so many people on this ticket had that same change of heart that I had is because we listened to Helen and Wesley, and they in turn listened to us. They made us feel important and necessary and relevant not only within this campaign, but also as a student who can make a difference at this university.
That is why I joined their campaign. With them, I feel like I can also empower students to feel this same passion and feel like they are relevant and that they are important and that they do matter.