Senior Aaron Poor embraces his final year at SCU as president of Associated Student Government (ASG). But don’t let the last name deceive you; this guy is RICH with intelligence, kindness, creativity and leadership skills.
Her Campus got the chance to sit down and catch a glimpse into the world of Aaron Poor, learning more about what makes him so dang awesome.
Coming from a public school in Mercer Island, Washington, Aaron began his college career as a curious freshman walking into an ASG info session. He has since developed into an innovative and enthusiastic advocate of all things SCU. During his freshmen and sophomore years, he held various positions in ASG, and as a junior he was president of Ruff Riders. Needless to say, he comes well equipped with prior leadership experience. Coining the simple yet meaningful phrases, “Go Broncos” and “It’s a great day to be a Bronco” Aaron Poor embodies every bit of school pride that one could hope for in a student leader. He wastes no time in recognizing and embracing SCU for every past, present, and future opportunity.
One of Aaron’s favorite quotes is from scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson: “If you’re really successful at bullsh*tting, it means you’re not hanging around enough people smarter than you.” Aaron thoroughly enjoys being a part of ASG and feels lucky to spend time with such intelligent and exciting people. “Everyone has their own experience and a story to tell,” he says, and affirms that he learns just as much from the younger team members as he does the older.
Aaron recounts ASG’s accomplishments thus far (getting lounge chairs for the pool and expanding the Be Heard desk, to name a few). When he first joined ASG as a freshman, the lounge chairs were a hot topic among the senior members, so, “It’s been rewarding to see this task through,” he says. Every Friday, the Be Heard desk functions as a voice for students, giving them a forum to submit any general feedback or concerns. “Listening [to the students] is the most important part,” he adds.
Although we’re only a few weeks into the quarter, Aaron foresees great things for this year. Together with ASG’s brilliant vice president, Madeline Owen, Aaron and Madeline formulated a systematic triangular campaign to structure their term. As part of the campaign, they created the acronym FAS – Find, Act, Share – to exemplify what this year has to offer.
“In the fall students can find ideas they are passionate about and resources to support such; winter can be a time to use the resources and build upon ideas; spring will be a time to share successes and celebrate our work,” he explained. The duo hopes their term will give rise to even more sustainability efforts, stronger on and off-campus relations, and an overall boosted sense of community.
ASG already works to build strong alliances across campus. “We are the bridge between students’ voices and administrators’ voices, but we are not the only voices. We hope to be the megaphone for the entire student population, not just student government,” Aaron says.
He highlights the efforts of Unity 4 along with the entirety of the Multicultural Center (MCC), noting that they “have done awesome things, and we on ASG ask how we can support their efforts.” Aaron hopes to continue the movement for racial integration and acceptance of diversity into daily life. He tries to recognize both the absence of racial acceptance while acknowledging existing measures.
Aaron himself is Jewish by background. He is a part of the Jewish community within Santa Clara, and he explains, “I’m not super involved but I have never felt stigmatized or put down for my Jewish identity.” He goes on to explain the differences he notices between attending a public high school and Jesuit college: “Jesuits embrace all identities and help you grow into your own; public schools kind of just pretend they aren’t there.”
“Santa Clara is a place where if you have something you want to do, you will find people to support you and help you make it a reality,” says Aaron.
He is living proof of this statement, as he was the first student to campaign for and succeed in implementing the “design your own major” within the business school at SCU. Aaron created the Sustainable Development major, allowing students to study sustainability from a business perspective, thus allowing students to take business core classes with a combination of upper division business courses and arts and sciences courses. “No one’s gonna do it if it doesn’t exist,” remarks Aaron on his decision to take matters into his own hands.
Aaron’s passion for sustainable business led him to discover Global Inheritance, a nonprofit organization working to educate individuals about sustainability through fun, interactive means. “Education through activation, that’s the motto” comments Aaron.
Aaron first came across Global Inheritance as a freshman at SCU. He was working on a project for a business class and had the idea to create a playground that simultaneously generated solar power. But, Global Inheritance had already done this. Back then, the company did not take interns; however, Aaron kept up with the company and landed his dream internship this past summer. He worked recycling booths at various events throughout the summer, from the FYF music festival to the Vans Open of Surfing. These booths allowed individuals to exchange recycled goods for event merchandise.
In the future, Aaron hopes to work in a marketing job with a company that “focuses on our age group and promotes social responsibility.” What does marketing mean to Aaron? “It’s a lot of communication and who is sending a message and who is receiving. The sustainability marketing class taught me to figure out the target market and their needs.” Coming full circle, Aaron tied in marketing with his work on ASG: “We look at what resources we can give international students, off-campus students, judicially impacted students, and overall try to think of underserved communities and how we can use the resources that Santa Clara is happy to give to people.”
How does one cope with the stress that comes with assuming such a large leadership role? “Stay comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Aaron notes, with regards to filling such big shoes around campus. “If ever I’m stressed, I try to just communicate and trust my team,” he goes on.
Outside of ASG, Aaron fancies a killer night hike (shout-out to you, lunar eclipse), Nintendo (Super Smash Bros), and doodling (find him with a Pilot G207 pen – his personal favorite). Interestingly enough, Aaron holds that lunch is the most important meal of the day. His dream lunch consists of mac n cheese, a medley of summer fruits and a mint lemonade. Yum! He loves to travel, and hopes to one day get to Bhutan, stating, “they measure their nation’s growth in gross domestic happiness versus gross domestic product.”
Last winter, Aaron studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. His favorite class from the program was History of the Mediterranean. “We learned that early humans were good at taking care of people with disabilities, and there existed a stronger emphasis on community.” Aaron holds that his biggest takeaway from studying abroad was, “to be simple and clear when communicating my expectations.” He described the frustration when no one could understand him because he couldn’t speak the language, but once this sense of simplicity was thrust upon him he now uses it in everyday life.
A few things you might not know about Mr. President: Aaron has a twin brother, Ben. Ben recently graduated from Occidental College and now works for J Street, a nonprofit supporting a secure, prosperous and democratic Israel. Passion for social change runs in the fam!
When Aaron was a child, he had cancer and beat it at age seven. At age eighteen, he received a kidney transplant. It is evident Aaron continues to live his life each day with unrelenting gratitude. “A lot of people helped me when I was very young and it has given me energy to help other people now,” he explained.
He doesn’t believe in to-do lists, and tries to do things as they come up, saying yes to life. “This [mentality] is important to me and this is how I want to spend my days,” says Aaron. He is a true testament to his work and the way he lives his life.
Aaron’s last words for Her Campus readers: “Figure out what you really want, and the universe will line up for you. People will want to help you if you are enthusiastic!”
Aaron Poor, you’ve set the bar sky high for your ASG successor! Go Broncos!