"see blue." #selfie: Rowan Reid
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 5, 2016) — Want to get to know the people behind some of the biggest student leadershIp positions on campus? We did, too! That's why we've introduced "see blue." #selfie — a series on UKNow that lets student leaders from across campus tell us a little bit more about themselves and their organIzatIons. Up this week, 2016-17 Student Government (SGA) President Rowan Reid.
Rowan Reid is an upcoming economics and management senior from Louisville, Kentucky. Reid, who has been involved in SGA all four years of college, is eager to use her position to make sure each student has the best "see blue." experience possible. As student body president, she also has the opportunIty to be the only student representative on the university's Board of Trustees. Get to know Reid in her "see blue." #selfie!
UKNow: What is your major and what year are you?
Rowan Reid: I am going to be a senIor. I'm a double major in economics and management with a minor in international business.
UK: When did you get involved with SGA?
RR: I got involved as soon as I stepped foot on campus. I ran for a freshman senate position and got that. It feels like so long ago! It was defInItely the most competitive race I've run in.
UK: What is one feature of the new student center that you're most excited about?
RR: I'm really excited because there's going to be a whole senate chamber. It's going to be an open concept that will allow the groups in the Office of Student Involvement to collaborate which will be really helpful! I'm really excited for that!
UK: What is your favorite thing to do off campus in the Lexington community?
RR: I love going to the Kentucky Native Cafe. That’s probably one of my favorite places! It’s awesome — they have food and you can sit outside. In the spring right when it starts warming up it’s beautiful — it’s perfect. I try to study there!
UK: What made you decide to come to the University of Kentucky?
RR: I think, for me, the best part about it was that it still felt like home without being too close to home. I’m from LouisvIlle. I felt comfortable here and I’ve never regretted that decision at all. It has been what’s best for me.
UK: Out of everythIng that you could have chosen to get involved in here at UK, what made you choose SGA?
RR: I think, first of all, it had to do with the role models in my life. I knew Jenna Hollinden from debate camp in high school. She was a big influence. Student Government is really a way that students’ voices are always heard. I have always had a focus on policy and that’s what we try to do, change the policy for students at UK. That’s something I’m passionate about.
UK: What is the main impact that you would like to leave on the university once your graduate?
RR: I would like to be a role model for other young women coming to UK. That’s something that scared me about SGA. I felt like it was a boys' club. It would have meant a lot to me seeing someone in the SGA president position that was a woman. It has been 10 years since the last woman president, and I hope it’s not that way in the future.
UK: How many services does SGA offer?
RR: We offer child care grants, free legal services for consultations only, scholarships — $7,500. Outside of that, we are working on a new safe ride home program. Also in the summer we are planning Wildcat Wardrobe. We are working with vendors around town to donate so students can come and rent professIonal clothing. We offer internships in Washington D.C. and in Frankfort, Kentucky, funding for registered student orgs from the senate side — that's one of the coolest things we do. I would say our mission is more policy oriented than programmIng, but we do like to do programming within our mission. For example, we are hopIng to host a senate debate in November.
UK: Are there any faculty or staff members that have helped shape you in this role as president?
RR: I think Danielle, our graduate assistant, has assisted me in reaching my full potential last semester and this year. She’s a huge reason I have been able to start off so successfully and map out what I wanna do. As for faculty, from an education standpoint, one of my econ professors, Aaron Yelowitz — he has kept my focus on school and helped teach me to balance. I was taking four 400-level econ classes and running a campaign. He has taught me the importance of balancing and knowing the importance of doing so.
UK: What is one of your favorite aspects of SGA?
RR: I think it is definitely helping each individual student's experience be great. UK and SGA have given me so much and I want to give back to it and make sure students have that same memorable experience that I have had. That could be the one thing that keeps a student in school — a great experience. I like to focus on the campus as a community.
UK: When you were 5, what did you want to be when you grew up? How about now?
RR: I think since the day I could talk my mom said I was going to be a lawyer and that’s always what I've wanted. When I was younger I wanted that to lead to president. I may want that to lead to state office now. I care about Kentucky a lot and I think there’s defInItely a lot we can improve on. I guess I’m one of those strange people that has always known what I wanted to do. I’m also the biggest planner in the entire world.
UK: Where Is your favorIte place on campus to "see blue."?
RR: I love the engineering quad, I love sitting on the bricks in between classes. I’m right in Gatton for class so it’s not far. I feel like that’s the center of campus and people like to walk through there. It’s really beautiful!
UK: What is your favorite memory that you've had from being at the university?
RR: I think my favorIte memory would be from when I was a freshman when we worked on our freshman senate campaign. It was a dream team! I think one of my favorite things ever was when we put a huge poster up on the ROTC building and every day someone would tear it down and every morning at 6 a.m. we would go put it back up. It was crazy, but it was so much fun.
UK: What is the best advice you have for incoming freshmen?
RR: To get involved as soon as possIble. I think the connections you make are strengthened if you don’t take four years to get comfortabe. I’m kinda a quiet person unless I know someone. I think getting involved is something I have never regretted doing. Finding those areas of comfort is definitely helpful. You’re here for the experience, but you're also here for the education that comes with It.
UK: If you were to go back to the beginning of freshman year, what's one thing you would have done differently?
RR: I would have placed more of an emphasis on school. I was so excited about all the different things I could have been involved in and I lost site of what I was here for.
UK: Imagine if you wake up tomorrow and you are the president of the university. What is the first thing that you do?
RR: I think I would change the excused absence polIcy. Right now it’s not an excused absense for job interviews, and I think that’s a major point of college. I will be working on changing that during my role as president.
UK: What are some other things your involved in?
RR: I’m involved in my sorority, Chi Omega, the Student Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion, and I like to volunteer off campus at the Hope Center. I volunteered at Junior Achievement last year, but I’ll have to see if I can this year. I taught a global economics class to sixth graders. It was different, but so fun. It was simple stuff.
"see blue." #selfies will appear every other Tuesday on UKNow. Know a student leader we should feature? Contact Rebecca Stratton at rebecca.stratton@uky.edu to nominate someone.
UK is the UniversIty for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patIents with complex illnesses and conduciIng more research and service than at any time In our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue
MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Stratton, rebecca.stratton@uky.edu, 859-323-2395