From left: Hirokazu Kishinami, Randall Hudson, and Kimberly Tran stuff Back to School Survival Kits for school's first week.
Multiple stacks of bright green Back to School Survival Kits jam-packed the Student Government Association (SGA) headquarters at Truckee Meadows Community College on August 22 as officers stuffed them with planners, pens, flyers and other goodies.
- What: Back to School Survival Kits offered to students
- When: Handed out the first week of Fall Semester
- Where: V. James Eardley Student Services Center
Randall Hudson, who started work the week before as SGA Vice President, was pulling his weight among the piles of logo-printed canvas sacks with his sure and speedy movements filling the grocery bag-sized kits.
“I felt that joining the SGA would be a great opportunity to represent fellow students,” he said. “I’d like to help make positive changes on campus.”
Hudson is both a TMCC High School junior and a TMCC college student.
“I love it,” he said. “I love the freedom and the way the classes are open to a more flexible schedule. The courses are rigorous. It’s up to you to make of it want you want it to be. I like being self-driven, self-motivated.”
He will major in chemistry, and is aiming to become a surgeon.
“I’ll finish my bachelor’s degree in chemistry and am hoping to go through the Navy to complete medical school,” Hudson added.
Bridgitte Tellez is also beginning her SGA term of office in August. She is the new Liberal Arts Division Senator.
Tellez is interested in a pre-law major, and works at a local pharmacy outlet in addition to her courses at TMCC.
“My most important goal as an SGA officer this year is mainly to have a bigger presence on campus, and what I mean by this is that I want students to know who their Liberal Arts Division Senator is and what they’re doing,” she said. “I want to be more involved with students because I believe that this will push TMCC towards that inclusive, welcoming space that we always strive towards.”
She chose TMCC because of this supportive community environment.
“TMCC has been an amazing part of my academic career,” she said. “It has given me and taught me tools that I will need in order to be a successful student once I move on to UNR and then to law school,” Tellez said. “It has numerous resources such as the Writing Center that makes receiving tutoring easy and accessible for students.”
Hudson agrees.
“I have a lot of freedom to do what I need to do and there’s a really big support system here,” he said. “There’s a Tutoring and Learning Center where students can go if they need help with a class.”
Tellez added that the drop-in hours are especially appreciated on the occasions where students do not have the time to book an appointment.
“I feel that the Writing Center is a great place that students should really utilize because the tutors there are amazing and truly want to help out,” she said.
2017-2018 Student Government to Rebrand Its Vision
SGA officers and senators will be making an increased effort to visit other TMCC sites this year, according to Kimberly Tran, SGA President, and a TMCC electrical engineering major.
“We’ll either carpool there or back,” she said. “We want the students to know us for more than just events—that they can come to us with concerns or ideas.”
Hudson said that this is part of a re-branding of SGA’s vision.
“We want to increase our presence and approachability,” he added.
SGA officers and senators have their headquarters in Red Mountain Building, room 121, and work different shifts according to each member’s class schedule. Their shifts are mostly staggered during regular working hours of 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday.
For more information about Back to School Survival Kits, please contact the SGA at 775-673-7203.