The USG Presidency: An Intro

By Rini Sampath ‘16

Hi there! 

My name is Rini Sampath and I’m the Student Body President here at the beautiful University of Southern California. You probably have seen my face on posters on campus. Or heard how my hair is so big because it’s full of secrets. Or maybe you are one of my true and trusted friends loyally reading this blog entry. Or maybe not, that’s okay, too.

My hair has always been a pretty big part of my life.

I decided to write for Trojans 360 because I miss the Tumblr aesthetic. But seriously, I’m writing this because I want to connect with you. And I want to do it through a laidback medium instead of traditional interviews. It gets boring after all, seeing elected officials in their shiny name tags and pantsuits. 

I mean, does anyone really know what the governor of our state does? Or a congressman? We see them argue on C-Span, yes (actually, scratch that: I don’t think anyone watches C-Span or knows what it is for that matter). They pop up in the papers kissing babies, yes. But, governance generally lacks transparency, which leaves many people feeling apathetic towards civic engagement.

I love babies, but trust me, this is not what I do at my job. 

Student government is tantamount to aliens or the Illuminati: You know they exist, but do you know what they actually do? 

I want to change that. I want to give you a candid and honest look into my life and what I do as Student Body President. Here, you can hear about the news straight from the source. I want to tell you what I do as Student Body President so you always feel empowered to speak up and make change on campus.

My amazing team and I have a lot of great plans for this fall. Every week, you’ll have the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at what I do with them to ensure your undergraduate experience is the best that it can be. We’ll delve into the heavy stuff, like how we’re tackling college affordability and mental health, and the lighter stuff, too — like what it takes to bring a mobile food cart to Leavey Library so your midnight munchies get handled. 

And no, I don’t have any ghost writers penning these blog entries. There’ll be plenty of posts for you to read from the comfort of your bed, couch, phone, or when you need a distraction during that GE lecture. Back to back!

Before we get started, some background about me: I live in Irvine with my mom, dad, dog who looks shockingly like Air Bud from Air Bud Strikes Back, and most importantly: an awesome 13-year-old sister. This summer, I worked for a political consulting firm on Miracle Mile in Los Angeles. I am still recovering from my lunch breaks where I would overdose on Mexican food from El Diner. 

Don’t be fooled by this face. He only knows one trick: “Sit.” 

I’m so excited to get back to the best university in the world in just a few days. I’m even more excited to share my stories as President with you. Thanks for reading. Catch you at the next post! 

Yours truly,

Rini

P.S. You can always e-mail me with what’s on your mind at usgpres@usc.edu. Right now, I’m engaging with students on the impact of rising tuition costs. More on that next time.