Our beloved and awesome president, Tobi Polland is a rising Senior, International Studies, Operations Management, and Management Information Systems major, who is from Severna Park, M.D. In addition to being president, she is a Resident Assistant in the Seahawk Crossing, Engagement Guide (volunteer coordinator) for the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement, Mentee, Cameron Executive Network, Representative on the Dean’s Advisory Council, Housing and Residential Life Sustainability Committee, Volunteer Coordinator for Brigade Boys and Girls Club and the WIRE/PASS program for Communities in Schools, and Non-Profit Telecommuting intern at M&T Realty Capital Corporation. Take a comfortable seat under Tobi’s wing, because she’s flying us towards change.
HC: How does it feel to be president?
Tobi: Very excited and ecstatic to be officially Student Body President. It was a very stressful campaign process and I am relieved that it is over. Dan (the VP) and I have so many ideas, and we are so excited to get started. It is an adjustment to have people come up to me and say, “Congrats!” or “Hey Madame President”, the title thing still kind of throws me off.
HC: How did you feel when you heard that there was a run-off?
Tobi: I was frustrated. Don’t get me wrong, campaigning was a lot of fun primarily because I got to meet people I normally wouldn’t get to meet, and I learned about what students really cared about. However, campaigning is a lot of work, and by the end of the run-off process, it was a whole month of preparing to campaign, campaigning, and then, run-off campaigning. I was exhausted, and thankfully I had a campaign team to keep me going. I just kept thinking, they’ve already invested so much time, and they really believe in me, so I can’t stop now.
HC: What’s going to be your first order as Commander-in-Chief?
Tobi: I want to build a great team. Dan and I want to to get to know the new senate and find out what kinds of projects they would like to work on. I want to get to know administration and prioritize the platform so that we can run very efficiently next year.
HC: What are some personal goals you have with your presidency?
a. I want to restore the student voice and be able to advocate for ALL voices.
b. I always want to be approachable and not let the glory of the position become a wall between myself and the student body.
c. I don’t want to just “listen,” I’d like to be a president of action, not just a figurehead. I want to implement solutions, and if I can’t find a solution, I will at the minimum communicate why that is back to the student body.
d. I want SGA initiative to be easily understood, accessible and transparent to non-members.
HC: Who is someone you consider an inspiration?
Tobi: My mom. She is a true servant-leader in that she doesn’t ever expect credit or recognition, she serves to fulfil a need. Recently, my residential community back at home was struggling over whether the community should fund a pool or not. There were many controversial arguments and a lack of facts. The louder voice became the “right” voice. My mom stepped in and designed a website free of charge and anonymously to let people voice their ideas and pose questions instead of just believing hearsay or rumors.
HC: What’s your favorite quote?
Tobi: It’s actually an entire poem. “If” by Rudyard Kipling. I try to live by every line. Second to that, it is “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
HC: Being random, if you were a member of N’SYNC, which one would you be?
Tobi: Oh no, I don’t know, haha I actually didn’t really listen to them when I was younger. I know, I’m lame. But, I did have a huge crush on Aaron Carter back when he was big.
HC: Any advice to UNCW students?
Tobi: Some of my favorite moments at UNCW have been when I was “working,” “serving” and “meeting.” Take advantage of these opportunities. Get out of the UNCW bubble and get to know Wilmington. It’s not all beaches and restaurants, and Wilmington needs your help. Go and talk to your professors. They are often willing to be mentors, you just need to take the initiative to go to their office hours, and get to know them! Embrace teamwork. Yeah it may sound cheesy, but it is one of the best skills you can have, and it is a skill that you will need to apply to virtually everything.