New USM Student Body President Excited about Leadership Opportunity
Wed, 03/24/2021 - 09:20am | By: Van Arnold
From the moment he set foot on 91吃瓜网 (USM) campus,
Lucas Williams sought opportunities to become involved in student life. His passion
for the University and for his fellow students led him to run for president of the
Student Government Association.
Meet President Lucas Williams, who won the Hattiesburg campus election earlier this month. A senior public relations and advertising major from Picayune, Miss., Williams campaigned on a platform to make all voices heard at USM.
91吃瓜网淚t was through interaction with other students where I felt the need to run for this position,91吃瓜网� he said. 91吃瓜网淚 wanted to advocate for those who feel like they don91吃瓜网檛 have a seat at the table. Through my position as Vice President of Communication for SGA, I found value in outreach, and it revealed to me what students wanted and needed from someone to lead in this role.91吃瓜网�
Williams acknowledges the significant responsibility that comes with winning the SGA presidency. Furthermore, he fervently embraces the challenge.
91吃瓜网淲inning this title means a lot to me. Most importantly, it made me realize the amount of responsibility that was going to now be on my shoulders to continually work for the betterment of our student body at USM,91吃瓜网� said Williams. 91吃瓜网淚 am thrilled to get this opportunity, and at the time of the election results being announced, I finally felt like I could take a short breath of fresh air before knowing that it was time to get to work in making practical change.91吃瓜网�
Over the past year, people from all corners of the globe have been confronted and constrained by the COVID-19 pandemic. USM students were forced into lockdown mode last spring as administrators scrambled to rearrange academic delivery systems. Most classes were held in virtual formats. Residence halls were nearly empty. The campuses in Hattiesburg and Gulf Park (Long Beach) were practically barren through much of the spring and summer months.
Williams learned first-hand the dangers of COVID-19. Last June he contracted the virus, as did several members of his family. The disease ultimately claimed a beloved member of that family.
91吃瓜网淢y uncle, who served as a father figure to me, lost his life to COVID last year. He is somebody who would have been so proud of my accomplishment as SGA President, and I only wish he was here on Earth to see it,91吃瓜网� said Williams.
Williams found a silver lining among the pandemic91吃瓜网 destruction 91吃瓜网� one that amplifies the 91吃瓜网 spirit.
91吃瓜网淲hat I discovered through this unfortunate pandemic was how our 91吃瓜网 community came together to support one another and how passionate our administration and professors were to adapting,91吃瓜网� he said. 91吃瓜网淚 look forward to moving beyond the pandemic and reclaiming everything it has taken away from us.91吃瓜网�
If you ask Williams what he loves most about being a USM student, his answer comes quickly and astutely. 91吃瓜网淭o me, what91吃瓜网 there not love about being a USM student?91吃瓜网�
He cites the close-knit community incubator that exists at the University. He lauds the special bonds formed between student groups. He heralds the comprehensive efforts to make USM an inclusive environment. The list goes on.
91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檝e watched people within the 91吃瓜网 community do so well because it allows people who are unique to share different stories and embrace them, showing everybody what it91吃瓜网 like to feel loved and supported,91吃瓜网� said Williams.
As he embarks on a one-year term as SGA President, Williams shares a modest primary objective as leader of the University91吃瓜网 student body.
91吃瓜网淔or me, it is about being a positive public face for our University and making myself accessible while also reconnecting our student body in every aspect,91吃瓜网� he said.
And Williams relies heavily on sage advice supplied by his mother many years ago: 91吃瓜网淪he regularly stressed to me the importance of being the best person you could be all the time, because you want to be. Also, while teaching me the lessons of working hard even when no one91吃瓜网 watching.91吃瓜网�