Current third year Sociology major Breana Archie is one of the students who has taken the plunge in order to get her voice heard. She is running for Associated Students president and is hoping to create a large difference in the community.

Archie became a peer mentor shortly after her first year on campus, where she learned about lobby core and this is what sparked her interest in student government.  “This was the light bulb in my head that made me realize student government is home for me.” 

She was also involved in the REACH program prior to her decision to run for president. 

Archie’s passion for government has stemmed from many different issues on campus. She wants to work a lot with diversity, which has been known to be something the school lacks. The lack of women having higher roles is also something that she has wanted to change, especially those of color.

“Being African American here in Sonoma, I don’t see a lot of me. This is what really pushed me to get more involved,” she said. “Why not take the risk and be the example so that way when other African American student come here, they don’t have to feel like they don’t belong.” 

Archie wants her campaign to focus on topics like these and she thinks the conversation should be started about diversity issues.

“The problem isn’t going to change if someone doesn’t take a risk. I want to break down barriers of hate and barriers of inequalities in order to serve students,” Archie said.

Another main issue Archie hopes to focus on if she were to take the presidency is mental health concerns. She wants the campus to focus more on how students are actually doing. One idea she had on how to do this was to add the suicide hotlines phone number to the back of student ID cards so they always feel like they have someone to talk to. 

As a survivor of suicide herself, she believes it is a crucial topic and something that needs to have more awareness. “I totally understand what it is like to put on a mask and pretend it is okay,” she said.

“If the students don’t have a solid mental health, it doesn’t matter how smart they are, they aren’t going to succeed,” continued Archie. “The mind is the foundation of everything and should be spoken about. I want to personally have conversations with students and actually ask if they are okay.”

Archie believes that she will be a great candidate for the students and someone who can truly advocate for them. “My experience speaks for itself and at the end of the day, I’m rooting for the students and their success in the future. I’m here to find the middle ground,” she said.