2024-25 USUSA Student Advocate Vice President candidates
Michael Campbell:
What year are you in school? What are you studying? Where are you from?
I’m a first-year graduate student at the Jon. M. Huntsman School of Business. I’m in the MHR program, the masters in human resources, and I’m also in the concurrent programs, so when I finish that I get to start the masters of business administration as well. I’m from Sarasota, Florida. I know it’s a bit far, but the weather is nice here too, I guess.
How will you help lead the student body to make an impact in the community and in the state?
I think the biggest thing when it comes to being a leader at this school specifically is being available; being able to talk to people when they have concerns, when they have issues; being approachable, and then being able to take action. I’m an advocate just in my general life for people who are unfortunate. I do volunteer at treatment centers. And it’s easy for me to just get in a herd of people who want to help.
What do you see as the most important part of being student advocate VP?
The biggest thing is about being there for people, being there to help when somebody has an issue or concern that they don’t feel like they can get addressed with the community with the administration. I want to be that link. I want to be that link between that problem and then the solution that the administration might have or other students who have experienced this.
How will you extend your support and advocacy to students at USU’s statewide campuses and regions?
I am actually a Wasatch student, so I do a lot of traveling anyways. This is, in the last couple weeks, like the third time that I’ve been up to Logan. I come back and forth all the time; I have friends here. Just being available to drive and go back and forth.
If you are not elected, how will you continue to be involved at USU?
Wherever they need me, man. I just love this school, and I love the values here. I love being a part of this group, and I love helping in whatever way I can.
If you were to perform at PoBev, what would you do?
I would probably go back to the classics. I’d do something like Shakespeare. I like “Hamlet,” personally. “Romeo and Juliet” would be cool.
Sydney Lyman:
What year are you in school? What are you studying? Where are you from?
I am a junior studying political science and journalism. I’m minoring in anticipatory intelligence, a wonderful program. I’m from Wyoming, originally a little town called Lyman.
How will you help lead the student body to make an impact in the community and in the state?
I will help lead the student body to make an impact locally and in the state by championing accessibility. It’s really important to me, but this role in particular is really unique as far as any student office goes because it’s the one that has the most to do with local and state government. We work really closely with representatives. And so by being involved, by being aware of policies that affect our students, and then by creating a more accessible campus.
What do you see as the most important part of being student advocate VP?
I know this sounds kind of redundant, but advocating for students. Pretty much all of the grievances come through the student advocate’s office. So getting to hear what students care about and how we can make their lives better is easily the most important part of the role.
How will you extend your support and advocacy to students at USU’s statewide campuses and regions?
I will extend support to the statewide campus frankly by just meeting their other student advocates. It’s something that’s really important to me that they feel involved and connected as part of the Utah State family. Within this election, I’m meeting with a few other leaders on campuses that are running for different positions. But I would like to invite them to the Council of Advocacy, which is a role co-sponsored by the College of Science and student advocate, and so I would love for them to sit on that council as chairs.
If you are not elected, how will you continue to be involved at USU?
If I’m not elected, I will always be involved. I love this school. I hope that if somebody else wins this position that they would still have me on the Government Relations Council. I’ve served on it for the past three years, and it’s a role I feel incredibly passionate about. It’s a role that works the closest with government, both local and state. And so I hope to be involved in that capacity, but I will always be service-oriented, and I hope even to live my life in a more inclusive manner.
If you were to perform at PoBev, what would you do?
I’m a terrible viola player, but it’s the only instrument I know how to play. It’s like the abandoned stepchild of the strings family. But I think I would play like, you know, the Mii theme song. It’s like the da-da-da-da. I think I would do that on the viola.
Libby Henrie:
What year are you in school? What are you studying? Where are you from?
I’m a freshman this year, and I’m studying business marketing and I am from Sandy, Utah.
How will you help lead the student body to make an impact in the community and in the state?
I will help lead the student body in the community and the state level by leading with compassion and really focusing on personal connections with the student body and focusing on their needs, their thoughts, their opinions — what they want.
What do you see as the most important part of being student advocate VP?
I think the most important part of being student advocate VP is really focusing on advocating, which sounds silly, but really being there — understanding what is important to the students, finding a way and putting a plan in place to get that to happen.
How will you extend your support and advocacy to students at USU’s statewide campuses and regions?
I will extend my support and advocacy to students at statewide and regional campuses by staying in contact with leaders in those campuses — ambassadors, statewide vice presidents — and also, I would hope to be making visits there every so often to just check in and see how you’re doing, make a connection with the students.
If you are not elected, how will you continue to be involved at USU?
I’d hope to join one of the committees — events or series or traditions. I love being involved. I love being in the thick of all the events. It’s super exciting to me. I love being busy.
If you were to perform at PoBev, what would you do?
If I were to perform at PoBev, I think I would perform hopefully an original song, but I’d have to work on knocking one of those out first and really finishing it.
Jaxon Hunt:
What year are you in school? What are you studying? Where are you from?
I’m a junior. I’m studying outdoor product design and development. I’m from Lehi, Utah.
How will you help lead the student body to make an impact in the community and in the state?
I will help the student body realize the power of their voice in knowing that they can make a change here on campus and at the state level.
What do you see as the most important part of being student advocate VP?
For me, the most important part of being a student advocate is listening to what the students have to say, their opinions, and helping them feel that their voices are heard.
How will you extend your support and advocacy to students at USU’s statewide campuses and regions?
I will help extend my support to students here at the Logan campus and other statewide campuses through listening to what they have to say, through MyVoice, through additional surveys and forms that they will have the option to fill out.
If you are not elected, how will you continue to be involved at USU?
If I’m not elected as student advocate, I will continue to be a present student at Utah State by attending athletic events, going to club meetings and being a supporter of USUSA.
If you were to perform at PoBev, what would you do?
If I was to perform at PoBev, you already know I would be performing the cowbell. Smacking it as hard as I can and singing the lyrics to “All Star” by Smash Mouth.
Interviews conducted by: Heidi Bingham, Ashley Dorius and Cameron Carnes