Written by Stephanie Rodriguez. Media by Riley Hannula.
While the presidential elections go on this year, Greenville College’s GCSA held its own election earlier this semester. The student body was able to listen to candidates and vote. Next year’s President is Kellie Steele and Vice President is Corbin Quinonez. Steele comments, “I am excited for the opportunity to lead and serve on a different level next year.” The following is a Q & A with next year’s GCSA President and Vice President.
What made you want to be a part of GCSA?
Steele: “Coming into Greenville, I knew that I would want to get involved early. I began by volunteering with the Simple Room and Connect 4, as well as joining the Freshman Class Council. Service has always been a huge aspect of my faith; I feel close to God when I am able to help others, be it through tutoring or simply spending time with someone. As I began to understand campus more and recognize the role of GCSA, I knew that it was an organization I wanted to be a part of, especially GSO (Student Outreach).”
Quinonez: “Through my first two years at Greenville, I found myself serving as a member of the football team and as a resident chaplain. Despite success I may have achieved in my first two years of service, I found God calling me to serve in a different way. Football and Residence Life gave me opportunities to micro-lead, but as a business major and an accounting enthusiast, I sought an opportunity to serve and macro-lead. Then came the opportunity to be a part of GCSA as the EFA, Executive Financial Administrator, which combined both my passion for accounting and the opportunity to macro lead. After a year as the EFA, I have had the opportunity to manage the student activity budget, organize reimbursement for student leaders, and proudly support my fellow cabinet members’ events.”
What are your short-term and long-term goals for GC students?
Quinonez: “As next year’s Executive Vice President, I have the opportunity to build off the legacies of Emily Callon, Emily Rauch, and others have left through once holding the position. I currently have a short-term goal to heavily promote student leadership through senate and to have every senator position filled before the first Senate meeting. In terms of a long-term goal, I hope to consistently lead Senate in a way that promotes leaders who think intuitively that will create proposals to fulfill the demands of the student body. One other long-term goal I have is to have another student leader trained and ready to improve Senate even more in the preceding year as the take the 2017-18 Vice President.”
How will your new positions be beneficial to the school?
Steele: “Through this position, I am able to work as a liaison between the students and administration. When the administration wants to know what the students think or how they feel about an issue, I will be the one to communicate that. When the students raise questions or issues, I will be able to bring those to the administration and work to resolve them. The position of [GCSA] President plays so many roles, many of which are behind the scenes, to help make sure that students have the best possible experience while they are here.”
What are some ideas you have for next year?
Steele: “In the past, GCSA has focused heavily on the events that we plan, which is a great system. We are able to provide fun, educational, and meaningful experiences for students. Next year though, I would like to move GCSA beyond solely planning events. When issues arise, such as the MAP Grant this year, I would like GCSA to be more responsive and advocate more for the students. GCSA has been growing immensely in the past years and I am excited to see where it will continue to go this coming year.”
Quinonez: “GCSA over the past few years has made exponential growth. Despite much success that GCSA has seen as a whole, I still hope to see change. My concern goes toward the cabinets involvement with Senate. My goal is to raise awareness and communicate how vitally important it is for cabinet members actively involve themselves in Senate. More active involvement from the cabinet in Senate will better communicate our appreciation for all the hard work and dedication that the senators invest in creating better experience for the student body.”
