Q&A with Samantha Worman, SGA president elect

BY NEPHTHALIE LAUTURE

Junior Samantha Worman was elected by the student body on Feb. 19 as Student Government Association president.

A Williamsburg native, Worman is a double major in English with a focus in creative writing and Psychology. She has previously worked on the Executive Cabinet as Executive Coordinator.

Her duties included planning and coordinating events that the SGA put into effect. This past fall, Worman’s position required her to plan homecoming and reinstall the tradition of tailgating. These opportunities allowed her to become better acquainted with the student body.

The Bullet took some time to discuss Worman’s new role as president and her plans for the upcoming semester.

What’s your major?
I am an English and psychology double major with a creative writing concentration.

What do you want to do when you graduate?
Right now, I will be pursing graduate school for a masters, then a Ph.D in clinical psychology. I would like to focus on eating disorders or childhood/adolescent bereavement. Of course I would like to write too, that is my English Major side. I would love to travel the world and publish a memoir some day. I’m a huge fan of non-fiction and poetry so something along those lines as well.

What will be your first act as president?
My first act as president will be to have a meeting with the Executive Cabinet and go over the year. This will be an amazing and cohesive group of students selected to serve our student body, and I want to make sure we all know our respective duties.

What is one thing you really want to do as president?
My biggest plan that I would like to implement on campus is making sure that students know the resources available to them. This extends to CAPS, UMW Cares, The Health Center, Women’s Health Center, academic resources and community resources. I want our students to feel safe, supported and informed.

Why did you want to be president?
Everyone has asked this question since nominations came out and after election results were announced. I think my roommate has heard it more than anyone. I wanted to be president because I felt like I could be a good representation of the student body. I have a wide range of friends in different groups on campus, not just one area. My friends are athletes, RAs, young democrats, young republicans, in PRISM, COAR and so on. Some aren’t in organizations or clubs too. I thought that I could offer good representation as well as experience from the past year and being a Mary Washington student in general. I want to work with the students, for the students, something I used as my campaign motto, because I meant it.

Do you think you can actually accomplish many of your goals as president?
I think that I will be setting realistic goals as president. That would be the point of having the initial meeting with the Cabinet, I want to make sure we are on the same page. That we can work together to accomplish and accommodate the needs of the students. I don’t like to make promises that I can’t keep so I will be taking the time to strategize goals to ensure that the student body isn’t let down.

What do you like most about UMW?
This is the question that prospective families ask, and I always tell them to be prepared because I’ll talk for 20 minutes on why I love this place, but right now I’m talking to the current student body, and I would say the same thing: bricks and columns. There is so much beauty and hidden beauty on the campus. Also, the people, my friends, professors, staff, and administration. They all offer so much support; they are passionate about seeing you succeed here. They have been passionate about seeing me succeed, and I’m honored to make them proud.

Where’s your favorite place on campus?
The benches in front of Lee Hall. When it’s warm outside I can always count on someone I know sitting out there, and we can catch up or just hang out. In a month or so I guarantee you will see me out there for hours at a time.

Who is your favorite U.S. president?
Kennedy hands down. I would say Hillary, but she’s not president yet.

If you could binge watch one tv show right now, what would it be?
“House of Cards.” Period. All day, every day.