Name: Cody Westphal
Year: Senior, Class of 2015
Major: Economics
Cody Westphal is no stranger to TCU students of every age; from welcoming incoming freshmen in the fall to enacting the “Not On My Campus” school-wide campaign, he continues to embody the spirit of TCU as acting Student Body President, TCU representative, and fellow Horned Frog.
Q: What has been your favorite part about being Student Body President?
A: “My favorite part has been that every day, I have the opportunity to serve the University and people I love. It sounds silly, but even after two years in office, I get excited when I wake up in the morning because I know that every day is a chance to pour all of myself into improving the lives of others. Serving others and trying to make the world a better place are things that I simply love doing, and I’d do them even if I wasn’t President. But being President means doing good for others is in my job title- it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Q: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment as Student Body President?
A: “I cannot claim any accomplishments as solely my own because I work with a lot of great people who are my teammates in everything I do. But I think the biggest accomplishment from my time in office was the progress we made in showing that Student Government can address and make a difference on pertinent social issues. We addressed mental health and sexual assault in a way that SGA hasn’t done before at TCU, and we were able to start a conversation for our campus that I firmly believe is still making a difference. We showed what SGA can be and I believe we changed the job description of SGA for the better.”
Q: What is your favorite college memory?
A: “Storming the field after the OU game was insanely cool.”
Q: What are your post-graduation plans?
A: “I will be working for Deloitte Consulting in Dallas.”
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give incoming freshmen as a graduating senior?
A: “You get what you give in college and in life. Give every day your best, love every person as much as you can, and you will find that things have a way of working themselves out.”
Q: What do you hope to leave behind as your “TCU legacy”?
A: “Legacy is a funny concept, because I don’t really care if people remember who I am or that I was ever here. All I care about is that what I did at TCU made a positive difference, no matter if I’m remembered for making that difference or not. I think the positive difference I helped create was expanding the role of SGA so it could better serve students by addressing social issues and making ourselves completely accessible to any and every student.”
Q: What has been your biggest development or change since freshman year?
A: “As a freshman I was full of a lot of passion and energy for life and TCU, but I didn’t exactly know how to present those with tact; I could come across as a ‘little bit much’ as some might say. I’ve since learned to channel that passion and energy in a way that is productive and sustainable, and most importantly, palatable. It’s summed up by ‘it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it’.”
Q: What is the most important thing you’ve learned while being in college?
A: “I learned that everyone can make a difference as long as you work hard and you’re in it for the right reasons.”
Q: What are you going to miss most about TCU?
A: “I’m going to miss all the people I’ve come to know and love.”
Q: What are you looking forward to most about being a college graduate?
A: “Not having homework on weekends will be nice.”
Q: What is the best food you’ve had at the BLUU?
A: “Their smoothies are off the charts.”
Q: What’s your theme song?
A: “The National Anthem.”
Photo Source: Cody Westphal