2019-2020 BYUSA presidential candidates

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Mimi Ross, left, and Rob Borden, right, are campaigning on the platform of “love, learn, serve.” (Rob Borden)

Rob Borden

Major: Italian

Hometown: Holladay, Utah

Favorite food: Pizza

Fun fact: Borden has already finished classes necessary for his major, but decided to run for the BYUSA position instead of graduating a year early. He graduated from high school early and says he realizes he has missed out on a lot.

Platform: Love, Learn, Serve

According to Borden, his campaign partner Mimi Ross could be described as dedicated — to BYU, to BYUSA and to her family and friends. Borden said Ross is the Vice President of Student Honor and works hard to perform well and ensure that the BYU campus is served well.

“(Ross) also makes personal sacrifices to ensure that her friends and family are given the proper time and attention they need,” Borden said. “(She) is, without question, the definition of a great leader.”

Mimi Ross 

Major: Physiology & developmental biology

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Favorite food: Brazilian

Fun fact: Ross loves to dance and play the viola.

Platform: Love, Learn, Serve

“(Borden) is really good at noticing the small details,” Ross said. “He can always tell when something is bothering others regardless of whether it is big or small.”

Mckay Tucker, left, and Kendrick Stevenson, right, hope to win the BYUSA election. (BYUSA)

Kendrick Stevenson 

Major: Construction management and military science

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Favorite food: French toast

Fun fact: Stevenson is an aviation enthusiast and upon graduation from BYU will go into the Army as an officer to become a pilot.

Platform: UPLIFT

Stevenson said his campaign partner, McKay Tucker, “is one of the most genuine leaders that I’ve ever met. He is fun, confident and always has a smile on his face.”

McKay Tucker 

Major: Economics

Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

Favorite food: Mexican

Fun fact: Tucker spent three semesters at Arizona State University (ASU) before transferring to BYU. Tucker helped found and lead ASU’s Interfaith Student Council.

Platform: UPLIFT

(Stevenson) is one of the most dedicated, caring people I’ve ever met,” Tucker said. “He only sees the good in people and is always working to uplift those around him. (He) has a special talent for making everyone he interacts with feel valued and important.”

Rob Borden and Mimi Ross – Love, Learn, Serve

Mimi Ross and Rob Borden are hoping to unite the BYU campus as one. (Rob Borden)

Rob Borden

Borden graduated from high school early and said he realizes he missed out on a lot looking back. This encouraged him to stay in college — despite already being done with classes necessary to graduate — to run for the BYUSA elections.

“I have decided to run for this position because I want to sink my roots deeper in this community, make friends and enjoy the BYU experience more fully,” Borden said.

Borden hopes that he and Ross can encourage students to realize that the “world (truly) is our campus” through their campaign.

“I have seen and heard about the impact that many students are having on the lives of individuals in Japan, Italy, the Phillippines, China, Ghana, Nigeria, Poland, Romania and France, and this isn’t even half,” Borden said.

Borden expressed his passion for BYU and what the university has to offer. He said he believes that by working together, students can make BYU a better place.

“Regardless of the outcome of the election, I would hope that we — as a student family — are able to press forward in spreading a message of love through unity, learning by faith and works, and dedicated service to all,” Borden said. “There is so much power in this student body, and my hope is that the power we have is harnessed to promote the ideals that BYU already stands for.”

Mimi Ross and Rob Borden want to unite the entire student body on campus. (Rob Borden)

Mimi Ross

Ross is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and stands behind the “Love, Learn, Serve” platform.

“With that (platform) we have an initiative tied to each one of those words,” Ross said.

Love: “We want to start a campaign called “Look Up” to encourage students to look up from their phones and make a new connection every day,” Ross said.

Learn: “We want to start “Kickback Days,” which will be a way for students to create a support network of people who are going through similar issues,” Ross said.

Serve: “The ‘Go Forth and Serve’ program is where we will pair up with different entities on campus every month to serve these students,” Ross said. “Specifically, we’d like to collaborate with the Women in Business club, Black Student Union, Dealing with Divorce Club and many more.”

Ross believes that uniting groups on campus will make reaching and serving more people on campus achievable.

“If we were to win, I’d hope to see students on campus connect with each other and the university more,” Ross said. “When we feel connected, we reach out more and feel less alone.”

Kendrick Stevenson and McKay Tucker – UPLIFT

Stevenson and Tucker’s platform is UPLIFT, encouraging BYU to rise up. (BYUSA)

Stevenson has high hopes for BYU and the future of its students and campus. According to Stevenson, the campaign has three initiatives that will uplift individuals, organizations and campus as a whole.

Individuals: “We will empower students to serve other students on campus through small acts of service,” Stevenson said.

Organizations: Stevenson said, “We will improve communication between student leaders across campus.”

Campus: “We will ignite school spirit through unifying activities,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson said they ultimately want to help marginalized groups on campus to know they are loved, and hopes that winning the BYUSA elections is a means to do so.

“I want everyone at BYU to feel accepted and loved no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation or religion,” Stevenson said.

Kendrick Stevenson (left) and McKay Tucker (right) are excited at the possibility of winning the BYUSA elections. (BYUSA)

McKay Tucker

Tucker attended Arizona State University before transferring to BYU and believes that helped him gain a new perspective.

Tucker said that attending ASU was a good experience for him to learn a little more about what it is like being a minority population among 80,000 students.

“I gained an enhanced perspective of what it’s like to be on the margin and came to even more greatly appreciate the growth that comes from working with those different from myself,” Tucker said. 

Tucker displayed leadership at ASU by founding ASU’s Interfaith Student Council. He worked with administrators to “create a venue for more regular dialogue, more collaborative interaction and more mutual understanding by bringing people from diverse backgrounds together.”

Tucker currently serves as the co-president of the BYU interfaith club and participates in BYUSA’s Student Advisory Council.

“We hope to work within BYUSA and with leaders of other student organizations to create a stronger culture of inclusion on campus and to ignite the spirit of the Y in our efforts to elevate student experience,” Tucker said.

Tucker hopes this will make an impact on the BYU campus and build on the foundation of “bridging one university.”

We believe that BYU’s best years are ahead of us, and as the president and vice president of BYUSA, we hope to elevate people’s perception and awareness of the BYU Student Service Association,” Tucker said.

Voting for BYUSA presidential candidates will take place on March 6.

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