Jana Colombini is an agricultural sciences junior and current ASI president. Letters to the editor do not reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.
Riley,
Congrats! Being elected Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) President is a huge honor. Throughout your year, you will have a lot of successes and a lot of struggles. ASI Chief of Staff Anthony and I came up with a list of 11 pointers to help you out because once I’m done June 18, you are on your own! Yes, I know top 10 would make more sense, but sometimes we must defy the societal norms. Here you go:
Top 11 pointers for being ASI president
1. You have officially signed your soul to Cal Poly. You’re going to be overwhelmingly busy, so figure out what your priorities are and cut everything else out because ASI presidency deserves to have all your time and energy.
2. Your team is everything. Who you surround yourself with will determine your success, so pick your Chief of Staff and Executive Cabinet wisely. Don’t just pick people you know.
3. Your own interests and organizations are not the only people you represent, so think holistically. You represent all 21,000 students.
4. Say goodbye to a good chunk of your social life. You can’t party all the time because you are the ASI president and you should never put the position at risk for it to be an embarrassment to the student body.
5. How you decorate your office is actually important. Put up things that show who you are and what you represent. If you are an ally to any group, show that. It’s important for students to know what you stand for.
6. You don’t know everything, but act and be confident as if you do. Always recognize when you don’t know everything and do your research. Don’t promise students things that can’t happen.
7. Don’t be an idiot. You are the student body president of one of the best schools in the country, so act like it. Be the best you can be all the time.
8. Strive to make Cal Poly something better than it is. Strive to be better than all other schools and strive to create a perfect Cal Poly, even though we are far from it.
9. Always remember why you wanted to be president and the platform you ran on. Students are expecting you to accomplish that. Don’t let them down!
10. Stay humble. You are not a gift from (insert whatever higher power you believe in here, if any). You are here to represent students, not to be their ruler.
11. You have no idea what the ASI president does until you’ve been ASI president. You have no idea what the job completely entails, but if you dedicate yourself to the position and always give it 100 percent, then you will understand what it’s like to be in this position. It can honestly suck at times, but being able to make change and help students makes it all worth it in the end.
Good luck!
— Jana Colombini