Each year, student candidates run in pairs as president and executive vice president for the BYU Student Association elections, a process which aims to cultivate a community of inclusive, Christ-centered leaders.
The BYUSA is part of the Student Connection and Leadership Center and is run by student volunteers. The SCLC works to create meaningful connections and foster an inclusive campus.
“Leadership is not a role or a position. It's simply a choice. It's about becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ,” Chloee Uluave, one of the candidates for BYUSA president, said.
Leadership and its ties to divine identity are an integral part of her campaign.
"If there's one thing we really want students to know from our campaign and from our presidency, should we be elected, is we want them to know that they're a child of God, that they have divine potential in that; because of that, they are a leader," Uluave said.
“Being able to serve in these different capacities has helped me change while I've been here at BYU, just become a more Christ-like person,” Jacob Leavitt, another candidate in the running, said. “I want all students to have that opportunity, and I don't want it to seem like it's some elite organization that you can't volunteer for or participate in because it's only for the cool kids. Because I promise, I'm not a cool kid.”
The candidates want students to know that they are all part of the BYUSA community, they said.
“If you're a student here, you are a member of BYUSA,” Ella Paligo, another presidential candidate, said. "I believe that it is such a wonderful avenue to connect students with friends, to help them find their involvement and their purpose on campus.”
Janalyn Finnie, Leavitt's running-mate, described BYU as a unique place where leadership is cultivated.
“We want to highlight how it's a special, special campus,” Finnie said. “There's a special spirit here, and you can become more and then go out into the world after you graduate and go and serve and bless others.”
Caleb Rogers, Paligo's running-mate, hopes to help students pursue their purpose.
“Our hope is that every student can find their ‘why,’ and that we can create a culture of purpose-driven students that look outward and know how they're contributing to something bigger than themselves,” Rogers said.
Voting for the BYUSA student body president and vice president will begin on February 27.