This past Thursday, I helped elect Ryan Flamerich as the first SGA Speaker of the Senate. While I’m unable to honestly say what his duties will be, I served as a proxy and cast my vote because Ryan is a friend. In the end, the experience was actually pretty fun. I wore my favorite suit and cowboy boots, visited with some familiar faces, and witnessed applause for Ryan that filled the Ferguson Forum.

However, I left confused and slightly entertained by the hyperbole of this election’s impact. I am referring to the fact that Ryan is an independent and one of the highest-ranking members of our student government, causing Southern, swoop-haired greeks to squirm.

SGA positions are created to represent a constituency and reflect the values of our American government. A problem often mentioned on campus is the fact that most students do not participate in elections and are genuinely disinterested in SGA. I guess that would make non-voting, uninterested students the single largest demographic on campus.

For a brief moment, I’ll bestow myself with the responsibility of representing this constituency and communicating our message: We really do not care about the SGA. Furthermore, it is upsetting how the SGA serves as the ruler of progress on campus. For University outsiders trying to catch a glimpse of what is continually making the University a great place to be, I would not direct their attention to the SGA office. Rather, it would be steered toward the many initiatives on campus that are purely student driven and all too often ignored.

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of attending the Profiles in Service and Leadership Awards Banquet, sponsored by the Community Service Center, Women’s Resource Center and the SOURCE. It was an honor to be in the presence of so many students on campus who are making an impact through programs like UA Women Leaders in Action and Literacy is the Edge. How many members of the University are aware the ABXY Gaming Network, an official student organization, used their passion of gaming to not only sponsor PixelCon but raise funds for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital? How many students are aware that this year’s University of Alabama Relay For Life registered 43 teams, 366 participants and raised over $40,000 for the American Cancer Society and its programs that will lead to a cancer-free tomorrow?

If I could offer any piece of advice to fellow students, especially underclassmen and women, it would be undoubtedly influenced by my experience last Wednesday with some of the University’s more selfless individuals. Create your own definition of success: let it be the result of your collective life experiences, let it challenge you to impact the University and the Tuscaloosa community, and above all, pursue it bravely.

In Monday’s edition of The Crimson White, Ian Sams expressed candid thoughts about elitism on campus. I too have seen the red carpet rolled out for some students while sitting back and wanting my piece of the pie. However, I refuse to believe that success on this campus is best measured in the forms of the SGA presidency, winning a Premier Award, or being involved in the Honors College.

Success is attainable for every student at the University of Alabama. Go get it.

Andres Peña is a senior majoring in management and political science.