By Lauren Ebben/ Editor-in-chief
Students were given the opportunity to speak two leaders on campus. Amarillo College President Russell Lowery-Hart and Student Government Association President Hector Casanova hung out with students during the lunch hour Jan. 30 for Pizza with the Presidents.
Casanova, a business major, said this event was a chance for students to learn more about the leaders on campus.
“It gives students a time to recognize who the presidents are … we’re a friendly face on campus, someone who is approachable, someone who is there for their best interests,” he said.
AC President Russell Lowery-Hart said this event highlights the culture of caring the college is known for.
“We want students to know they’re valuable, that they know the college sees their worth and is excited for their future. We can thank them for being a part of us by giving them something to eat,” he said.
Casanova said Pizza with the Presidents also gives the students a chance to learn more about the SGA and its role on campus as “the voice of the college.”
“SGA is the representatives of the student body. We address issues that we see, issues that students acknowledge as being part of campus, and we work towards aiding and finding resolutions for some of those issues, as well as just creating a better college experience for the current students as well as future students,” he said.
In addition, SGA sponsors a large variety of programs and events at AC, such as monthly movie nights and awareness weeks for issues like mental health and domestic violence.
“A common theme within everything SGA does, is for us to be there as a welcoming face, as a welcoming factor to the campus,” Casanova said. “We want to let people know that they come to us, let us know any input on our events and any of the issues on campus … because we truly value what they have to say.”
Jackson Ruiz, a computer networking/cybersecurity major and vice president of SGA, said these events were helpful for him when he started at AC.
“It made me feel important whenever I was just starting here and coming to all these events,” Ruiz said. “It made me feel like I wasn’t just another kid walking through campus that nobody knows. It just makes you feel like you have some sort of involvement in the story.”
Pizza with the Presidents occurs at the beginning of every semester.
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