For the past month, I have felt nothing but animosity swirling among the people of this campus. I’ve watched friendships get destroyed all because of petty campus politics. After putting all my effort and energy into running for vice president of Academic Affairs, I feel exhausted. What’s more, I feel burned out. After being on both sides of the aisle, I knew what The Machine was capable of. Not to mention, all the candidates who ran this year were very capable and qualified individuals. I’m not upset about losing. In fact, I knew my chances were slim from the get-go. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t really want it, and it didn’t prevent me from getting my 
hopes up.

Several days after I lost, I found myself feeling inadequate, and I wondered if I really wasn’t meant to lead people. My message as a candidate was a clear, candid one, and I started to question myself as a person. Anxiety crept back into my life, and I found myself second guessing everything – my dreams, my aspirations, my field of study. I cannot tell you how many doubts crossed my mind. As I slowly began to glance around, it became apparent I wasn’t the only person who felt this way. Whether it be senate candidates who ran and didn’t get a seat, or other independents who also were pursuing executive positions, everyone was still reeling from those disastrous weeks of campaigning. I looked at these 
people, my friends, and thought to myself, “You are so much more than a title or a position.”

It dawned on me that I needed to suck it up and take my own advice. Leadership is not positional, and you don’t have to hold a position within SGA to be a leader on this campus. There are so many other avenues to serve not only students, but the community as well. I recently spoke with a student who actually had one of her ideas originally shot down by SGA, but she took the initiative herself to contact the administration in order to put her idea into action.

We all have the ability and power to make sustainable change, and although my experience within SGA has been a fulfilling one, I don’t necessarily need it in order to make an impact. I have a passion for people, and I’m not going to let losing change that either. I encourage all of you who might have gotten rejected from SGA or maybe have found it just isn’t your niche, to continue striving to be a voice for change. Maybe you’re like me and you ran for a position and lost. Really bad. Learn from it, and use it to better yourself and your future endeavors. Dust yourself off and get back in the game. I suppose in reality there will be times in life when I lose a lot more than just a title. I refuse to let this moment define me. Don’t let your losses and rejections define you either.

Alex Smith is a sophomore majoring in political science. Her column runs biweekly.