RSS
 Jacqueline Hough | Daily Herald Halifax Community College Student Government Association President Theresa Raymond enjoys advocating and being a voice for students at the college. |
“I think I was fortunate to have the background I had coming from the military,” she said. “It allowed me to adapt faster to take on the role of president.”
A native of Staton, N.Y., she moved here in high school. After high school, she served eight years in the Navy — five years active and three years in reserve.
While in the Navy, she was a journalist. While in the reserves, she was a reporter and layout editor at the Littleton Observer. She is a also a married mother of three young sons.
A self-proclaimed “talker,” Raymond at the suggestion of a friend decided to run for public information officer for SGA.
“I didn’t know what that meant because I didn’t consider myself a leader at the time,” she said. “I figured it was another opportunity for me to learn.”
Last year, she ran for vice president but there were no candidates for president. And the way the charter was written, the person who is vice president becomes president.
For this school year, she ran for secretary/treasurer but due to some issues in the president and vice president positions, she moved up to president.
“My background in the military has allowed me to adapt faster to take on the role of president,” she said. “It is a demanding role.”
She serves on several boards at the college and at the state level. Raymond is the ex officio member of the HCC board of trustees.
“I have every right except for voting,” she said.
She also serves on the all College Council, which allows her to tell everyone at HCC what SGA is going and gives her a chance to hear what others are doing at the college.
“It gives me a chance to act as liaison between the faculty and staff and students,” Raymond said.
On the state level, she is a member of the North Carolina Community College Comprehensive Student Government Association (N4CSGA). She has served two years as parliamentarian.
“It has really opened up a lot of doors and opportunities for me that I wouldn’t had if I hadn’t been on the board,” she said.
She has conducted workshops and been invited to speak at other community colleges.
“It has been a blessing,” she said. “I have really learned a lot being on SGA and N4CSGA.
She added the experiences have taught her what it means to be an advocate and leader at the college.
Raymond said, “I’m glad I had the opportunity to do these things. It has made me a more well-rounded person. And when I go into my career in the future, I’ll be able to bring these things to the table.”
The SGA meets the second Thursday of every month from 2 to 3 p.m. in Room 108 at HCC. Raymond said every curriculum student is an automatic member of the SGA.
“We encourage everyone to attend,” she said.
The other SGA executive members are James Phelps, vice president; Rebecca Shafer, secretary/treasurer; Gwendolyn Young; and two staff advisers Dr. Carolyn Stewart (senior adviser) and Brian Hopkins (co-adviser).
Some upcoming events include the monthly meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10. There will be a campus wide cleanup on Friday, Sept. 11.
Raymond said this is to promote the beautification of our campus to students. Volunteers are needed, she added. There are some blood drives in October along with Fall Fest for the students. Plus there are various contests held throughout the semester as a way to give something back to the students.
Raymond said she understands it is hard for some when coming to school.
“A lot of people are single parents or non traditional students,” she said. “It’s always good when they can take a break, do something fun and win a prize.”
SGA works on several things during the semester and school year. Their big project for this year is to create a scholarship for the student body. At most colleges, an SGA scholarship is just for SGA executive board members. But Raymond said this scholarship will be opened to the entire student body.
“We will be one of the first in the state to do this,” she said.
“I think SGA does so many good things that we should find a way to give back.”
So far, she said, the school year has been going well but busy. Raymond enjoys walking up to students and finding out what issues they are facing.
She also gives out information about the Ride Share program, which encourages students to carpool. She carpools everyday with two other students from Littleton and Roanoke Rapids.
“Being a leader means leading by example,” Raymond said. “If I am going to advocate carpooling then I should be carpooling.”
Since earning her associate’s, she has applied to several universities such as New York University, College of New York, University of New York, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and the University of California at Berkeley.
For more information about events or if there are questions and concerns, Raymond can be contacted at SGA office at 252-536-7298 or traymond862@halifaxcc.net.
Comments