by Chandler Kotowicz

As the semester nears an end, the Student Government Association holds its yearly election for its five board member positions: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and public relations. However, only the first two positions will see some competition this year. Andrew Burgess and Sloanne Peterson ran for president while Chandler Kotowicz and Xypher Pino ran for vice president. Unopposed, Talyor Cotie ran for secretary, Bethany McQuinn for treasurer and Brynlyn ManWaring for public relations. This guarantees them a spot next year, unless they decide to drop out. After two weeks of campaigning, Sloanne and Xypher made it out victorious as Greensboro College’s 2025 SGA President and vice president. 

But the results of the election were not what matters most. What is most important to take away from the past month is the student involvement in local politics and youth engagement to bettering our community. An essential part of any political campaign is the promises you make to get elected. Things like student parking, staff relations with students, accessibility and plenty of others were brought up during this race. These promises were placed on posters, used as slogans and represent what each candidate is fighting for. All political candidates, from our school’s SGA to the White House, fight for a safer community. 

As our new SGA vice president for the 2025 to 2026 school year, Xypher Pino, an honors biology major, shared with me that the reason he gets involved in politics is because “the people we elect in office and put in charge directly control everyone’s wellbeing.” This applies to our country’s government but also to your town’s government, your school’s government and even with the people who get promoted at your workplace. Those in charge affect the lives of everyone they serve. That is why involvement in local politics is important: if we as a community are not involved in the choosing of those in charge of us then how will we ensure that they will care for us as well? 

Trust me, I understand that local politics, or any politics for that matter, is not a fun thing to participate in, especially in today’s age. Student involvement in politics is something that has occurred for decades and generations – being at the age where you transition into the real world ignites a fire in most leading to groups forming, discussing, planning and acting. We are at an age where we can finally participate in everything that has been unfolding all our lives. Student governments are a great way to start if you do not know how; it is the smallest form of local politics and definitely the easiest.