Shaun Theriot-Smith, president of the Student Government Association, told the story of how he got to where he is today after years of transferring from one institution to another.
Before becoming a student at the University of Houston, Shaun served in the Army for four years. While he was stationed in east Afghanistan, he spent mornings wiping snow and calibrating a satellite dish just to work on his assignments. Shaun practiced diligence as he managed 13 credit hours and completed his responsibilities as a soldier.
By “managing [his] identity,” Shaun has allowed himself to balance time for his wife, daughters, classes, service and representing our entire student body.
“It’s important to compartmentalize parts of your life,” Shaun said.
Shaun is honest about not being a perfect student, but he does try his hardest.
In 2013, Shaun decided to run for one of two vacant SGA senate chairs—initially representing the Cullen College of Engineering.
Houston’s veteran population is the second largest in the nation, so Shaun began to focus on providing more opportunities for student veterans.
Now serving as the president of SGA, Shaun represents the entire student body and their colleges. He and his team administer subtle, or drastic, changes that they feel are necessary.
Working with student representatives, called senators, SGA focuses on finding solutions to better our school. SGA tries, to the best of their abilities, to address concerns our student body might have—whether it’s improving student resources or meal plans.
“Regardless of my career, whether it takes me in a direction that’s not cooperating with my major, [I aspire to] serve people,” Shaun said.