Justin Smith, SGA vice president, is bringing a unique set of talents to the VP position.
Smith, junior in chemical engineering, said while his degree program may not be as political as some of his colleagues, his education has still prepared him for the position.
“Engineering majors are very detail-oriented," Smith said. "We like to schedule and plan things out so that we can be as efficient as possible. Actually, the last vice president [Brandon Honeywell] was a STEM major as well.”
Smith said his attention to detail could be an asset to SGA, particularly in regards to legislation.
“We’re overseeing legislation and we have to make sure everything is detailed and right so that when it goes to the president of the University the next morning, it reflects well on the student body and our Student Government Association," Smith said.
Smith said he prioritizes representing his student body over the prestige of the vice presidential position.
“Initially, I had no desire to serve in an executive position because I was a senator and I was doing it well, you know?” Smith said, “I remember though, there was one night up here in the involvement office where I was talking with a few cabinet members, and we were talking about the future of SGA and who would be serving next term in the executive positions. They were like, ‘Justin, you should run for vice president.'"
Smith said encouraging moments like those from his friends and peers in SGA motivated him to run for the position.
“Until someone said that I had not even thought about it,” Smith said. “When they started talking about it, I was like, ‘well, I guess I do have these qualities, I guess I can serve Auburn in this manner,’ and that’s when I started going for it.”
Smith said he prefers to take action and set an example for his peers.
“I think growing up I was always the ‘lead by example’ type person. Never really outspoken, never really the one to step in the front of the pack," Smith said. "But people used to commend me on my hard work and my work ethic, which is something that I’ve always strived to perfect and be really diligent about. I think that the office of vice president suits me on those capabilities and qualities.”
In the coming SGA year, Smith said he is excited to serve.
“It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of organization skills, a lot of detailed thinking, and I think it’ll be fun doing that this year,” Smith said.
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