Newly elected Student Body President Michael Sullivan. Sullivan ran under the campaign, “your voice, my mission.” (Photo courtesy of Michael Sullivan)
St. Thomas junior Michael “Sully” Sullivan, who has served in numerous leadership roles around campus, including the Undergraduate Student Government executive board, was elected as student body president for the 2020-21 academic year.
Sullivan ran against juniors Derrick Diedrich and Viridiana Arevalo-Martinez for the position, while running under the platform “your voice, my mission,” a play on USG’s mission statement of “Your Voice, Our Mission.”
Campaigning online while not being on campus was something that Sullivan did not expect to do at the beginning of the year or even this semester.
“If you would have told me at the beginning of the second semester that we’d be online and I’d be back in Hibbing, Minnesota taking my online classes, I would say ‘nice joke.’” Sullivan said. “Things are just evolving so quickly right now.”
Sullivan has been involved with the Ashoka U Changemaker program, was a Newman Civic Fellow and has served as vice president of academic affairs and vice president of public relations in USG. Sullivan was also an integral part of USG’s support of the building of the Center for Student Achievement in Murray-Herrick Campus Center.
“I am super excited for him,” current Student Body President Logan Monahan said. “I’m really excited to see what he can do because I know how dedicated he is to the university and to student government.”
Sullivan’s main goals as student body president are listening to others and connecting with students on campus.
“I hope to be an open door that students can talk to,” Sullivan said.
Other individuals elected to the USG executive board include sophomore Adam Revoir as executive vice president and first-year Haison Nguyen as vice president of public relations. Juniors Tiaryn Daniels and Josh Schauer ran uncontested for vice president of academic affairs and vice president of administrative affairs, respectively.
Sullivan and the new USG members will be sworn into office May 14 at the final general council meeting of the school year.
Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.