Sophia Dawson and Camila Viorel are just like every other student at Emporia State. They go to class, hang out with their friends, and go to campus events, but their day to day, and most Thursdays, are often occupied with an added responsibility: Associated Student Government.
Last year, the student body elected Dawson, ASG President, as the original vice president pick alongside original presidential candidate Ashley Serrano. Dawson later moved up to take on the role of president and Viorel assumed the vice president position.
Dawson and Viorel agree that their role in ASG is to be a voice and a resource for students and want to “make things move” for students at ESU.
“I’m a transfer student, so I’m hoping to find more ways to engage with the transfer student community,” Dawson said. She looks forward to “engaging with the community… attending events that RSOs are putting on, collaborating with campus units like the Health and Wellness Center, different academic schools, things of that nature” and wants to be challenged and grow personally.
Viorel shared a similar sentiment. “Since I’m an international student, we also want to support international students and make them feel welcome.”
Viorel also wants to engage more students in what ASG does at the university, and both she and Dawson hope to increase participation in the university community. They want to “create relationships with everyone” and “collaborate to make (ESU) a better space for everyone.” According to Dawson, “there are always new ways to connect.”
However, they both agreed the most challenging thing about the position is work-life balance. Their academic life and their positions are both so integrated that sometimes it’s hard to have that separation.
“The things we are doing are important to us and, like Sophia said, we are always thinking about how we can improve this…we are always thinking about our students,” Viorel said. “So even after five when we are technically done with our office hours, we’re still working on things to go right.”
