We’re Sean and Suseth, and throughout our time on campus, we’ve put ourselves in positions where we can directly help others. Now we want to serve you as your next student body president and vice president. Here are our stories. 

Sean:

When I arrived in Austin as a freshman, I was enamored with the UT campus and eager to make my mark on it. I was ambitious, so I applied to four programs and positions around campus where I felt like I‘d be a great fit — and then I got denied by all of them. Suddenly, so many of my hopes for my time at UT and the confidence I came in with were in jeopardy of being lost. I was discouraged, and I started feeling like I should close myself off from opportunities, but then I remembered why I applied for anything in the first place. I applied because I believed in my ability to help others and to be a source of support. And when I leaned back on those convictions, I found inspiration to push on. 

Then came my sophomore year. I was finally finding my groove, but then on Oct. 3 my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He only had a few months left, so over winter break I decided to forgo my spring semester at UT to spend the last months of his life with him. 

I lost all motivation. The foundation of my life had been stripped away, and I began to stop caring about my future. However, when my father ultimately passed away over the summer, I realized that the only home left for me was at UT. And while I found support in my friends here, the only thing that really drew me back into myself was the knowledge that if I returned, I’d have a chance to serve again. 

This past year has been the hardest period of my life, and I still find myself wanting to quit time and again, but I keep fighting back because helping others is what fuels me. Seeing you — all of you — shine is what fulfills me. 

Y’all have given me the chance to serve as a resident assistant, an orientation adviser, a Camp Texas counselor, a Camp Kesem counselor and a campus tour guide, and now I’m asking for the honor to use my passions to serve you as your next student body president.
#DoYouForOthers

Suseth: 

When I came to UT, the Ñ in my name got lost along the way. But it became very apparent every time my accent would come out, every time I lowered my hand to talk and each and every time the sense that I didn’t belong at UT became stronger. How do you convey these feelings to your parents who don’t speak English and don’t know how to navigate postsecondary education here or in our native country? 

My first year here was rough. I had to figure out the entire system by myself, and I was not able to easily find my community because I thought these opportunities were not meant for me. How could they be when the people that are brave enough to put themselves out there are people that have been told all their lives they should be actively seeking positions of power. It was not until I became an orientation adviser that I found my voice. I realized how important it was to tell MY story, so now I want to share it with you. 

The truth is that I have been figuring it out as I go, but following my passions as an orientation adviser, a resident assistant, an officer for ValleyHorns, a member of Minority Women Pursuing Law, a mentor for kids whose second language is also English and a member of Senate has allowed me to amplify the voices of those that do not have one. 

I am running because everything that I do is to make my family proud, to better my community at UT and in the Valley. Who would have thought that that little girl from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, would be trying to be your vice president now? But I know that this is how I want to #DoYouForOthers.