Simeon Toronto and Dilan Maxfield will serve as the 2018-2019 BYUSA President and Executive Vice-President after winning 52 percent of the vote. (Angela Blomquist)
Simeon Toronto and Dilan Maxfield were announced as the 2018-2019 BYUSA election winners March 1. They will serve as BYUSA president and executive vice president during the upcoming school year.
'I was shaking and overwhelmed as we waited to hear the results,' Maxfield said. 'We had put a lot of work into this campaign, and this was the moment where it ended. After hearing the results, I was awe-struck and so excited.'
Maxfield said he felt grateful and humbled being surrounded by the people who put many hours into the campaign.
'Our campaign work was to get the message out about how we wanted BYUSA to serve students next year,' Maxfield said. 'Now I'm looking forward to executing those plans, and seeing the fruit of them on campus.'
Simeon Toronto & Dilan Maxfield hug in celebration of winning the 2018-2019 BYUSA presidential election. (Angela Blomquist)
Toronto and Maxfield won against Jayne Edwards and Kendra Muller by 267 votes, according to the BYUSA official election results. Over 7,600 students participated in elections by casting at least one vote during the primary or final rounds. In total, 7,908 votes were cast this year, accounting for 23 percent of BYU'S 33,517 students.
Toronto said he is looking forward to assembling the presidency for next year. The elected BYUSA president and vice president select seven vice presidents to lead the organization in a variety of capacities.
'Creating a team that will excel in their new roles is something that I am so looking forward to,' Toronto said.
Maxfield said he is excited to see the vision of BYUSA come to life during their service next year, quoting the Student Service Association's vision 'to be leaders centered on Jesus Christ who contribute to the building of Zion communities which are united in heart and mind that there be no intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically poor among us.'
'I believe our existing programming and the programming Simeon and I ran on will associate well with that vision next year,' Maxfield said.
Toronto said seeing a student walk into the BYUSA office and take advantage of the leadership opportunities excites him.
'The people that decide to walk in and then develop servant-leaders centered on Jesus Christ, looking to lift those who need them most, is what keeps me going every day to room 3400 Wilkinson,' Toronto said.