By Anne Karasek
Staff Writer

As the new president of the Student Government Association, Sam Schenk is no stranger to responsibility at Simmons. Her involvement at Simmons spans her college career. Beginning with the Simmons College Dance Company her freshman year, she progressed to being the leader of the entire student body.

Schenk, a senior, has also been involved in the English Liaison, Jumpstart, Academic Affairs, the Resident Housing Association, the Emerging Leaders Program, has been the President of Hall Council, an Academic Affairs Officer, a Simmons 101 facilitator, and Orientation Chair.

Schenk decided to run for president because during her junior year she became more involved with staff, faculty and student relationships, by being involved in the search for a new College of Arts and Sciences Dean.

“I realized I was enjoying what I was doing to help the student body,” she said.
This new joy inspired her to run for SGA president and work to build a better bond between faculty and students.

As president she has three main goals.

The first is to make the student government association have a bigger presence. She hopes to do this through hosting events as well as weekly forums where students can voice concerns.

Second, is to become more proactive about bringing student’s concerns to faculty.
Her third goal is to increase student participation by having students use what they’re interested in and getting involved that way.

Despite her high involvement, one of her favorite parts of school are her classes. She started her Simmons career as an English and Education major and was involved in Jumpstart, but after a trip to Washington D.C. she discovered that she liked the types of topics that the political science curriculum encompassed.

Despite her affinity for the political science department, one of Schenk’s most influential professors is Kelly Hager from the English department.

“Professor Hager is one of my favorite professors at Simmons because she is the epitome of what a professor should be,” said Schenk.

“She truly cares about each of her students and makes the time to get to know them inside and outside of the classroom. Inside of the classroom she expects a lot from each of us and because she takes the time to learn what we are capable of, she knows when to push and encourage us. Professor Kelly Hager has taught me not only about english literature, but also about the beauty of life itself.”

Schenk will graduate with as double major in English and political science. As for her plans after graduation, she is debating whether she wants to go back to school for higher education or political science.

This past summer, Schenk spent time in Paris.

“It may sound cliché, but the experience of traveling to another country, assimilating to their culture, learning about their customs and beliefs, and being given the opportunity to practice French has been invaluable to me. I’ve not only learned about another culture, I’ve also learned about myself, what I value, and what I truly want out of life.”

When asked what she loves about Simmons College, Schenk said her classes and fellow students. She said the students taught her and opened her eyes to new experiences with their diversity.

“Since my first year at Simmons, I have been fortunate to meet students from different parts of the country, of the world. Having the opportunity to interact with students who come from different cultures, with different beliefs and ways of thinking has opened my eyes to the fact that how I see the world isn’t the only way to view it. Both inside and outside of the classroom, learning from others experiences has made me value the differences between the members of our community and of the world.”