Meet Rena Hooker
Age: 21
Year: Junior
Major: Finance and Banking
Minor: Political Science
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Today marks the first day of regular campaigning for Student Government Association (SGA) president and vice president at Appalachian State.
Coincidentally, I met with Rena Hooker on the first day of early voting for the North Carolina primary.
Hooker got involved with SGA at Appalachian her first-year carrying status as the senator of the year and writing legislation. Sophomore year gave Hooker more experience as a member of the Campus/Student Health and Safety committee and also serving as pro tempore for several senate meetings.
When asked what made Hooker want to run for SGA president she said, “When I came my first year I didn’t see myself running because I was shy and had trouble with public speaking but got better over time. Any time I’m at a school my plan is to always leave it better for the next people to come along. I want to be a voice for people who feel they don’t have one; to be there for them and a resource to use.” Hooker believes that by using empathy and leadership students can have confidence in SGA at Appalachian so that it can reach its full potential – to become the student voice it’s meant to be.
Hooker is running with Justin Allen for vice president. The two served on rules committee last year and is currently the Director of Legislative Operations in SGA. “[Allen] is the most qualified because he’s had so much experience in senate. The VP has to have knowledge of how to write legislation and how to get student ideas up and running…In order to lead senate you need to put yourself in their shoes,” said Hooker.
During limited campaigning, Hooker and Allen traveled around to different clubs and organizations on campus to get feedback on their platform. “Getting ideas from the student body shouldn’t stop after campaigning,” said Hooker. The two hope to set up a contact table every week during their term to reach out to students and set up surveys to continue communication and transparency.
Hooker shared with me the top three solid issues that were brought to her and Allen when reaching out to students: mental health awareness, diverse recruitment, inclusion, and retention and hiring a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE).
“My experience in SGA has prepared me for this position,” said Hooker. She has background knowledge in the legislative process, is an advocate for mental health and suicide awareness, seeks deeper relationships with individuals than just surface-level, and being in the honors college taught her time management skills.
Hooker also has experience working with the administration at Appalachian when she served on cabinet. “You have to be respectful even if the student body isn’t happy. Effective communication is important, not confrontational,” said Hooker.
Recently accepted into the Holland Fellows program with the School of Business, Hooker will travel to China this summer as her first experience abroad. She is excited to see how she will develop communication and relatable skills. “You have to be able to embrace people of all different backgrounds and work with them and appreciate them and I’ve already noticed how much I’ve grown from it,” said Hooker.
For Hooker, being SGA president is “not about a title for me and it never has been, I am running for this position because I want everyone who attends this university to feel they made the best decision, that they feel included and important.”
For more specifics on the HookerAllen campaign and their platform you can visit their website at HookerAllen.com.