In Gerard Hopkins’ poem “My Own Heart,” Hopkins describes a bleak day that is broken by the sun rising over the mountains bringing joy to the land. 

The concept of this poem is the guiding principle for Student Government Association presidential candidate Samantha Mendoza if elected.

“Sometimes you have to take a deep breath,” she said. “You have that joy in your life and yourself and that’s the only way you can get things done.”

On March 28, when SGA announced the candidates running for SGA president, many students were surprised that Mendoza would be running for president since she has no previous involvement in SGA. However, Mendoza feels that her outside perspective will help the association continue its success.

“It (running) was never something that crossed my mind,” Mendoza said. “I heard people talking about it and realized that you didn’t have to be in the organization to run (for president). Once I have an idea in my mind, I’m going to do it.”

As a junior English writing and rhetoric major, Mendoza plans to incorporate a lot of what she has learned in class about communication into her campaign and her possible term as president. Joining Mendoza as her vice president pick is junior finance major and current SGA Chief of Staff George Kuhle.

“I picked George because I knew I wanted to do this SGA thing,” she said. “I needed a VP who’s reliable, one who can really help me wrap my mind around this new terrain that I’m not too familiar with.” 

While SGA is new for Mendoza, she has identified what she believes to be a weak spot: communication. Mendoza believes that currently SGA’s primary role is to inform students about things happening on campus. If elected, Mendoza wants to create more efficient  dialogue between SGA and students.

“George and I have been meeting and figuring it out and talking about a lot of [issues] we think are important,” Mendoza said. 

An issue both campaigns plan to focus on is tuition. Mendoza has seen the effects of rising tuition as a resident assistant at Hunt Hall. Four of her residents transferred last semester because they could not afford to attend anymore.

“Maybe we can’t change the rising tuition because the school is growing, but I think there needs to be a way for the administration to better communicate,” she said. “It’s frustrating for students when we see our bills rising and we don’t know why.”

Mendoza also plans to address needs of commuter students in her campaign. She wants to see a place for commuters to feel at home, take a nap or hang out.

While Mendoza may not currently play a role in the student government, she believes she has made an impact through Leading EDGE, an organization that focuses on team building. 

“If I (am elected) president I would create an administration that’s just a good environment, welcoming and really reaching out to students,” Mendoza said. 

Follow Jacob on Twitter @_jacob_sanchez