New Student
Government Association President Courtney
Brandon is standing by words of the True Blue Pledge — “I am a valuable
contributor” — as she steers the Blue Raider student body toward a stronger
voice on campus.
The senior exercise science major hopes to hone her leadership
skills as she helps shape the campus environment during her SGA president tenure.
"We have over 20,000 students and showing them that they're able
to make an impact just by being a student … they have a platform," Brandon
said.
During the academic year, her agenda includes providing students the
opportunity to thoroughly understand how to make changes they would like to see
happen around campus.
"My mission is to create an educational program for students,
which includes teaching them how to make legislation, bills, and resolutions
that will improve this campus," she said.
The Nashville native devoted herself to the organization after being
a representative for Hume-Fogg Magnet's SGA while in high school.
"SGA was all I ever knew about because of my involvement in
high school … I continued my journey by serving on freshman council (at MTSU) and
fell in love with the experience,” she said.
Along with the SGA Senate,
Brandon believes her hands-on initiative will promote improvements for the
university. The philanthropic, internal affairs, and student life committees
are a few of the subgroups that make up the SGA, which serves as the official
liaison between the student body and the university administration.
"My senators are amazing and I can tell we have a ton of
leaders," she said. "When it comes to empowering them I always let
them know that I'm here, whether they call or text me — I always try to make
myself available in order to help my senate."
MTSU Student Life administrator Danny
Kelley is excited about Brandon’s efforts to engage students in the campus
community.
“Courtney has hit the ground
running as the 2017-18 SGA president,” Kelley said. “I have also been impressed
with some of the new initiatives Courtney’s team is planning, which include
increasing the visibility of SGA via Meet Your Senator events and informational
sessions for various student organizations.”
It’s been an interesting journey for Brandon, who had other plans
when it came time to decide on which college to attend a few years ago.
"Originally, I had told myself that I was going to Georgia
State University," she said.
But in the end, she chose True Blue after going through CUSTOMS new
student orientation in summer 2014. Soon her heart grew fond of everything MTSU
had to offer.
"I thought that maybe it was a sign I need to be closer to home
and since then MTSU has given me a quality education," Brandon said.
Growing up in a single-parent household, Brandon attributes a lot of
her own growth in both maturity and leadership skills to her mother, Ruby
Brandon.
"Watching her grow and raise three children by herself … I
think I had no choice but to realize some of my own abilities because I see so
much of her in me," she said.
A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Brandon has a twin
sister and older brother who also attend MTSU.
That’s a comfort for her “just knowing another person is always
here.”
For more
information about MTSU’s Student Government Association, go to www.mtsu.edu/sga. To contact
Brandon, email sgapres@mtsu.edu or call the SGA office at 615-898-2464.
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