By David Beltran, Shariyah Bass, Elizabeth Sopakirite West, Michela Gritti
As UNCP enters the week of Student Government Association (SGA) presidential elections, students and candidates across campus shared their voting decisions and perspectives on what they want the next administration to focus on.
From the Candidates…
Q: What makes you different from other candidates?
“I’m very authentic and true to myself. What you see is what you get. I don’t sugarcoat anything. I’m a man of integrity.”
Q: What do you like about UNCP?
“The diversity. I have friends from many different walks of life. I also love the events that promote different cultures and identities.”
Q: If elected, what do you want to accomplish?
“I want to bring students and administrators closer together, having them collaborate to do great things for the Brave Nation.”
Q: What makes you different from other candidates?
“ I think one of the reasons Jose and I stand out is because we’re diverse and we bring different perspectives to our platform. The pillars we are running on — sustainability, public service engagement, and academia — are tailored to our personal goals, but we both bring something unique to each area and can take the lead in different ways.”
I also think something that makes Jose and me different from the other ticket is that we have been active in multiple areas on campus. Our experience isn’t limited to student government. We’ve worked in the Division of Student Affairs, alongside the Chancellor’s Program as Chancellor Ambassadors, and with University Communications and Marketing. As business students in the Passport Program, we’ve also developed professionalism that has shaped our leadership style.
We’re taking all of the experience we’ve gained around campus, through involvement, leadership roles, and government work, and incorporating it into our platform. We’re leading with both our experience in student government and the leadership positions we’ve held across campus.”
Q: What do you like about UNCP?
“First, I love that UNCP is a smaller school with a big impact. We have a lot of diversity and engagement on campus, and it’s not centered in just one specific area. It’s not only academics, fraternity and sorority life, religious organizations, sports organizations, or athletic teams — it’s all of them together.
We all come from different areas of involvement, and while we each have our focus, we’re also able to be involved in multiple things. I think UNCP provides the perfect structure to do that without feeling burnt out or drained. Our faculty and staff are closely connected to the university and to students. They know us personally and are here to support us.
We’ve built a strong sense of community at UNCP, rooted in friendliness and support. That’s something I’m really proud of, and it’s definitely what I like most about UNCP.”
Q: If elected, what do you want to accomplish?
“Well, that’s a great question. Jose and I have four main pillars of change, but one of our primary focuses is sustainability. It’s something that’s incredibly important to us, not just as students, but as human beings. From a religious perspective, we believe in being good stewards of the Earth that the Lord has given us.
UNCP is small enough to make a major impact, not only on our campus and in our community, but across the UNC system. We want to serve as a model for other schools by adopting sustainable practices. That doesn’t mean we’re going to go fully green in one year, which is unrealistic, but small changes create larger change.
Even small steps can encourage student advocacy and involvement. We want students to feel empowered to make sustainable choices on their own, such as recycling and practicing environmental responsibility, rather than feeling forced to do so. Maintaining and strengthening sustainable practices on campus will be one of our biggest goals and accomplishments we will work toward.”
From the Students…
Votes for SGA Presidential Candidates…
Q: Who are you voting for?
“I currently don’t have anyone in mind. I still have my options open, but I will be deciding on Thursday with LSU (Latin Student Union).”
Q: Why?
“I’m still open to seeing what they want to bring to UNCP. I’ve talked to Jose and Elijah and agree with some of the things we discussed. I’ve also talked to other candidates, so I’m still very open.”
Q: Any changes you want for the school?
“I hear a lot of students talking about parking. We don’t have enough parking spaces, and they keep closing areas on campus, which makes it hard for students to park.”
Q: Who are you voting for?
“I’m voting for the Phillips–Ortiz Rojas administration.”
Q: Why?
“Their ticket challenging the status quo really aligns with me personally, especially because of the challenges I faced when I first came to Pembroke. I was homeschooled for most of my life, from elementary school through high school, and I also did some early college at a community college in Fayetteville. Coming to college was a big transition—it was completely different and pushed me outside my comfort zone. But I’ve grown so much from it. I’ve met so many amazing people and had experiences that are going to stick with me forever. The idea of challenging students to push beyond what they think they can do is something I would really love to see happen on campus.”
Q: Any changes you want for the school?
“I think I would really love to see more unity on campus. Our campus isn’t divided in a hateful way, but it can feel very cliquey at times—and I’m guilty of that too. I’d love to see different communities, clubs, and organizations host more events together instead of staying separated behind closed doors.”
Q: Who are you voting for?
“I’m voting for Elijah because I think parking passes should be included in tuition.”
Q: Any changes you want to see?
“I think the party ban in the Courtyard should be lifted.”
Q: Who are you voting for?
” I am voting for Owen because he’s a very nice person and very approachable and polite. I know Jose and that they passed a whole bunch of legislations and I really trust that.”
Q: Any changes you want to see?
“I’d like more sustainability. I really like the new dining hall reusable to-go boxes.”
Votes for Senate Candidates
Q: Who did you vote for?
“I voted for Grayson Wortman.”
Q: Why?
“I liked what he did during his previous tenure as sophomore senator.”
Q: What issues do you want addressed?
“Improvements to parking and more transparency about student fees.”
Q: Who did you vote for?
“I voted for Bethany Locklear.”
Q: Why?
“I really like her vibes and think she’d be the best junior senator.”
Q: What issues do you want addressed?
“More reliable Wi-Fi and better late-night dining options.”
Q: Who did you vote for?
“I voted for Ariana Oxendine.
Q: Why?
“Her ideas for more cultural events and involvement opportunities stood out.”
Q: What issues do you want addressed?
“I hope SGA helps make campus life more inclusive and fun.”