With the many ways to get involved at UVU, there is definitely something for everyone! One of the ways to get involved is to run for a Student Body Officer Position within the Utah Valley University Student Association. There are FOUR positions available: Student Body President, Vice President of Engagement, Vice President of Academic Senate, Vice President of Student Activities. Together with the Executive Assistant (appointed by the Student Body President), these student officers serve as the Executive Student Council overseeing the UVUSA Student Council.
These positions represent the student voice across campus as they assess, express, and address student issues to campus administration. They develop and promote campus programming, strive to educate students about resources available to them, and advocate for student needs.
Candidates are elected by the general student body which is any student registered for 1+ credits. Concurrent enrollment students are not eligible to vote. Voting for the 2024-2025 Executive Council will take place March 4th-March 7th.
Learn more about the elections process, officer positions, responsibilities and requirements here.
Elections will be done through Ranked Choice Voting. This method allows voters to rank the candidates running for office in order of their preference. If a candidate receives the majority of first choices (51%), then they win the election. If no candidate gets a simple majority, then the candidate with the least amount of first choice votes will be removed from the race; voters who ranked a candidate as their first choice will then be represented by their second choice and so on until a majority vote is reached. This process eliminates the need for a primary election.
Any current UVU student is permitted to file a grievance regarding the misconduct of a candidate. Grievances will be reviewed by the Elections Committee and any necessary penalties will be issued. Please note that there is not a prescribed rubric in addressing consequences of grievances and any penalties issued are at the discretion of the Elections Committee.
Get to know your 2024-2025 Utah Valley University Student Association Executive Council Candidates! Below is a list of candidates for the four elected positions; Student Body President, Vice President of Engagement, Vice President of Academic Senate and Vice President of Student Activities. Each candidate has an included picture, bio, qualifications and plans if elected into office. Please read through these as you cast your vote for the 2024-2025 Executive Council. Voting begins Monday March 4th at 8am and ends Thursday March 7th at 5pm. Final election results here.
Mimi Barney
Hi UVU friends! My name is Mimi Barney, and I am running to be your Student Body President! I was born and raised here in Utah and am currently majoring in Graphic Design and Marketing. I have loved my time at UVU and enjoy being involved with the UVUSA organization as the executive assistant. In my free time, you can find me running, reading, or with my friends & family. I am the oldest of 4 children, and I love supporting my younger siblings in all their extracurricular activities. I thoroughly enjoy being around people and learning from their experiences; being at UVU has helped me widen my perspectives and create relationships with people I am forever grateful for. My parents, professors, and advisors have helped shape me into who I am today and inspired me to pursue my goals. I am incredibly ambitious in all aspects of my life, and being your Student Body President would be no exception. I want to provide the best possible college experience for you!
This past year, I've held the position of executive assistant for the UVUSA organization. I have thoroughly enjoyed being so closely involved with the Executive Council on UVUSA. Most importantly, I have watched this year's UVUSA organization go above and beyond to cultivate a culture of teamwork and incredible work ethic. Working closely with our current Student Body President has allowed me ample time to see the effort poured into what it means to truly represent the students. Being involved in UVUSA this year has helped me to gain a broader perspective and look at the bigger picture. This has aided in magnifying those places and spaces that I believe UVU has room to grow and improve.
During my Freshman and Sophomore years, I participated in the Ambassador program! I had the opportunity to give several campus tours to prospective students and show them all UVU has to offer. We have many incredible resources on campus, full of people who genuinely care about the student body and UVU's success. While I was an ambassador, I was able to speak at various high schools in Utah about my time at UVU. I loved sharing my thoughts with prospective students about the memories, academic experiences, and life-long relationships I have made during my time at UVU.
Throughout my time at UVU and outside of my academics, I have been given multiple opportunities to turn outward and serve with different organizations. One organization I was heavily involved with this year was Mac's Gift. This organization provides Christmas gifts and experiences for 75+ Utah families of children with Cancer. These experiences have helped me see the world through different lenses and identify issues I may not have seen otherwise. I have learned so much from each person I have encountered, and I love the new perspectives I have gained.
Francisco Calderon-Mora
What’s up, Wolverines! I'm Francisco Calderon-Mora, and I’m running to serve as your Student Body President. You might recognize me as your Senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences on UVUSA, filming street interviews in the hallways, or helping run some of the funnest events on campus. Experiences like these have given me deep insights into the diverse lives of UVU students. Student life is a journey filled with hopes, dreams, and challenges, and every student aspires for their college story to end better than it started. As your President, my mission is to ensure that your UVU story is one of growth, empowerment, and success. As a first-generation college student, I know what it's like to be on the outside of the majority, to feel lost, or like a bystander in your own life. This perspective fuels my commitment to ensuring every student, regardless of background, feels seen, heard, and valued at UVU. I understand many of the everyday challenges students face, and I'm dedicated to addressing them head-on by helping equip you with the tools, resources, and understanding needed to be the hero of your own story. Whether you're navigating the world of academia, making career decisions, or exploring personal growth, I'm here to support and empower you to take control of your UVU journey. "Your School, Your Story" isn’t just my campaign slogan; it's a commitment to ensuring every student's experience and voice at UVU is heard, known, and represented. As your President, I want to better your time at UVU while you work on bettering your future. Together, let's create a narrative where every student thrives, finds their way, and makes their college experience a story of success!
Student Voice: No responsible change can be made without the input of the students—the heart of UVU. Your voice matters, and I’m committed to ensuring that it is heard loud and clear by actively exploring innovative ways to increase and highlight opportunities for student feedback. This includes organizing more events dedicated to celebrating our diverse community and amplifying student voices, and implementing more robust feedback features in the UVU student app and across campus. In doing so, we can empower students with the confidence to share their unique stories, concerns, and ideas, knowing that their feedback is important and contributes to the ongoing growth and evolution of UVU.
Track Record: I’ve had the honor of serving as the Senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences on UVUSA this past school year. In this role, I’ve worked closely with university administration and faculty to address student concerns, such as improving teacher response time and eliminating homework over breaks. My experience with UVUSA has provided me with the necessary skills to collaborate with university administration and advocate for student needs and interests. In short, I’ve already spent the past year fighting for student voices across campus and will continue to do so with passion and dedication as Student Body President.
Experience: In addition to being involved in UVUSA, I also have a rich background in leadership dating back to my high school days. Having served in various roles, from Sophomore Class Officer to Diversity Chairman and, ultimately, Student Body President, I’ve gained a well-developed understanding of how student government and campus dynamics work. Though there’s always room for growth, I’ve already learned much of the ropes of student leadership and understand the importance of time management in making a positive impact. I’m confident that my hands-on experience will help minimize on-the-job training and ensure efficient and effective leadership to hit the ground running as Student Body President and positively impact UVU.
Community Engagement: As a Utah County native, I have a strong drive to make positive impacts extending far beyond UVU campus. Whether it was helping organize charity projects to support low-income families back in high school, or working with diverse populations as a Substitute Teacher in local schools today, I’m always looking for ways to contribute to my community’s well-being in any way I can. As Student Body President, I’m committed to bringing this same level of community engagement and impact to our university. By drawing on our local roots, we can help ensure that UVU continues to be an active participant in the broader community and a catalyst for positive change!
Carl Prior
Hey friends! My name is Carl Prior and I am running to be your Student Body President! I am studying business management with an emphasis in international business and getting my minor in Spanish! I was born in West Jordan Utah and grew up in St. George, Washington, and Park City! I have an amazing family and am the middle child with six siblings! Growing up I always loved sports, theater productions, visiting new places, getting to know people, and finding ways to surprise people! I’m a blackbelt in karate, been the lead in a school play, two time national champion, 1st counselor in my Bishopric, Eagle Scout, and fluent in Spanish! I have always been rather ambitious and have decided to try aiming high in everything I can! I have realized that regardless of any accomplishments I have, all of you here at UVU are far more impressive and qualified than myself! It would be an honor to be your Student Body President and I would do anything in my power to help you have the experience here in college that will best prep you for your future! I promise you that as you walk through UVU you will see me in the hallways, in your class, or at random UVU events! I will be constantly asking you what improvements you think the school needs and be researching improvements myself in order to help UVU accommodate as many students as possible! If you ever want anything changed or have ideas that you want implemented then all you have to do is stand on a chair and you will see all 6‘7“ of me walking down the hall who would love to talk to you and make it happen!
Connection: I want to connect all of campus so that every student and department is supported and is validated for the amazing work that they do and hard work they put in!
I want to connect campus with the city of Orem as a whole. Reaching out on a completely new level to community allies, supporters, and sponsors, in order to create a more unified atmosphere in the city of Orem.
I want students to be better advised about changes in the university and be the first to know when opportunities are made available so that they will be the first to the benefits!
I want to make UVU campus the Crown jewel of Utah! I want people to come to UVU and be so impressed that every other school will try to base their campus and curriculum off of ours! This will be done through projects including the architecture, curriculum, communication streams, school management, diversity, resource allocation, and much more!
My goal is to make every single win in one department of UVU to be a win for every department at UVU! I hope to accomplish this by making successes across campus known to students and faculty as well as the community as a whole. This will increase recognition of the amazing institution of Utah Valley University, bring in more sponsors, and make it easier for students to grow, learn, and achieve greatness with reduced tuition costs, because everyone belongs at UVU!
I bleed Green!!! I spend hours each day on campus and I try to go my way to say hi to as many people as I can, through the hallways, in classes, and at different events at UVU. I have met with community leaders and corporate partners countless times representing UVU in different capacities. While working at Utah Valley University, I have reached out to several groups and organizations on behalf of UVU and its students in order to provide a more meaningful and effective experience for the students and faculty of UVU and I’m not even on student council yet! Having worked across campus I have seen all the departments that this university has and and I am eager to help them grow, receive more support, and provide a more quality experience for the students at UVU!
I have lived in Mexico, Chile, and Spain and I am and am fluent in English and Spanish. I have also lived in different foreign countries for extended periods of time spanning from weeks to even years including Italy, Samoa, France, Dominican Republic, Argentina and Japan! Each place I’ve been to has some of the most amazing people I have ever met and UVU has a place for everybody, regardless of where they’re from! I feel that from my unique experiences I will be able to relate better to you than any other candidate!
Since starting at UVU, I have grown a loved for and worked with different groups all over campus. I have loved working with UVU clubs, the LDS Institute, the zone, UVU Athletics, UVU ROTC, UVU Library, Women’s Success Center, the language lab, UVUSA, Interfaith Counsel, UVU Transportation Technologies, UVU spirit squad, and UVU study abroad.
It has been so fun for me to volunteer across campus and over the years I have helped organized and followed through with more than 300+ events on campus at UVU and have attended more than 800 different events during my as a full-time student!
Clay Duffin
Hello my fellow Wolverines! My name is Clay Duffin and I am running for VP of Engagement! I am a sophomore, currently working on my degree in History and Social Studies Education. I hope to become an educator and advocate for current and future students. I am a Community Activism and Organizing fellow at the Center for Social Impact where I have found my community and belonging, and I hope to continue to build and foster a safe community for everyone here at UVU!
My first and most important goal is to create healthy community. Meeting students face-to-face and creating meaningful connections with students and student groups will be the foundation of positive change. A quote from Reverend Bailey that I live by: “Relationships are built at the speed of trust, and change happens at the speed of relationships.” Creating safe community will allow me to make meaningful changes for UVU Students, according to their expressed needs.
My second goal is to develop a new system for students to feel heard. Students need to feel heard and advocated for from student government positions as student government is making choices that directly impact their fellow students. I want to hold monthly meetings for students and student groups to be able to communicate what they would like to see on campus. Allowing for more direct communication will help bridge the current gap between student government and student concerns.
My third goal is to find new and creative ways to educate students on campus resources and scholarships in order to make them more accessible. Many students do not know the resources available to them or the power that they hold as students. I want to create more transparency and to teach students to advocate for themselves.
My fifth goal is to create new solutions to get UVU Students involved on campus and at events by promoting better communication with faculty. UVU has a unique student population with many non-traditional students. This leads to many students being uninvolved and disengaged with on-campus events and opportunities. The one thing every student has in common is we all have professors. By creating better collaboration with our faculty to promote events and incentivize students to become involved, you reach students who would not typically be engaged with campus activities and resources.
Community Outreach: At the Center for Social Impact, I am the Community Activism and Organizing fellow which revolves heavily around keeping in contact with student groups and community partners; I make efforts to maintain good relationships with all of these student groups including the LGBTQ+ Center, Women's Success Center, Women of UVU, the Native Initiative, and SURF. Upholding positive community relationships is a core value of mine and this position has allowed me to practice that through community outreach. My communication and relationship skills for partner relations are well-developed, which will allow me to represent these organizations well in the position I am campaigning for.
Simone Goodheart
Howdy! Howdy! Howdy! My name is Simone Goodheart, and I am running for VP of Engagement with UVUSA. Like most students at Utah Valley University, I signed up because of the cheap tuition, good professors, open enrollment policy, and its inclusive environment. These were the reasons I came to UVU to major in Elementary Education. The reason I stayed is even more important to me. UVU has some of the best people I have ever met. I genuinely believe UVU has the greatest student body in all of Utah. Every student here is capable of great things. My goal as a VP of Engagement is to continue to foster and push forward our amazing inclusive environment to a higher and higher degree. The reason I chose the major of Elementary Education is that I have found education to be a very important and endearing part of our society. Along with that, it is my deep passion to help build up people. A proper educator is aware of the many different variables that may impact a student's experience and seek to implement strategies to help make schooling more accessible. This is what I want to do as VP of Engagement. Through my tenure here at UVU, I have had the Amazing opportunity to be involved in many different narratives at UVU! The group I got involved with was the Secular Student Alliance. This experience taught me many amazing skills in leadership and inclusion at UVU. With that, it has pushed me to be more involved with more organizations on campus. I have served two years on the Interfaith Student Council. Through this experience, I have learned amazing perspectives on faith and inclusion. I have helped form the Progressive Student Alliance as a way to help encourage student involvement in the political processes. Furthermore, my most current active role is that of President of Spectrum Queer Student Alliance and a Student Admin with LGBTQ+ Student Services.
Renew UVU's commitment to values Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity What makes UVU a great and brilliant school is our commitment to these values. Students should continue to have access to resources that can and will help them succeed on campus. As VP of Engagement, I hope to advocate and support these values in all the ways that they will appear on campus. I would like to give focus to departments, student organizations, and individual students who have already been getting this work done on campus. But along with that, I would like to bring more voices to the table to advocate for.
Support and Guide Students to their right to Free Speech on Campus. Our university is a public institution and that means students have the right to Free Speech. As VP of Engagement, I hope to provide students with tools and resources to make sure that their voices are heard in all realms of campus. Students should be able to engage in conversations that will help them grow and learn.
Expand and Develop programs with a proven track record of supporting student well-being, development, and engagement. UVU has amazing resources dedicated to the student and their ability to thrive on the university level. As VP of Engagement, I would like to ensure an expansion of the resources proven to make a positive difference in student's experiences here on campus. I would like to give special focus to these programs to ensure accessibility to all students when they need the resource and not necessarily when a waitlist says they can use it.
President of Spectrum Queer Student Alliance. - Facilitated Weekly Club Meetings Focused on fostering a community of belonging for marginalized folks. - Planned and supported high-attendee inclusion-centered events such as queer prom - Developed our leadership team into being active advocates for their peers.
Ava Gonzalez-Molina
Hi everyone my name is Ava Gonzàlez Molina and I am so excited to be running as your VP of engagement. Some things that are notable about me is that I am the type of person who loves to be involved in as many activities as possible and am extremely community centered. At my last college I was apart of the Cheer team and learned how school spirit is implemented on an athletic level, last year I was on student government as your inclusion chair which taught me how school spirit is implemented on a day to day. I have my own organization called ENACT which offers free therapeutic and legal support to young women going-through adversities and am a huge advocate for mental health awareness. As your VP of engagement my goal will be to make sure everyone has a voice and is seen on campus. Attending classes and engaging in campus life should be something that makes you feel excited and at ease not something that feels like a burden. If you allow me to I will make sure that this next year we implement initiatives that makes our university a place where all students can thrive and flourish.
Redefining Inclusion: I want us to redefine what it means to be inclusive, what it means to have a diverse student body representation. Inclusion involves everyone, even if you think you don’t fit into a category that is defined as diverse, I promise you do. Inclusion goes beyond focusing on Gender, sexuality and race. Inclusion also is meant to focus on accessibility, focusing on how to better those that are underlooked like veteran and active military students. Understanding that not all student athletes get full rides, and that just because your parents make it so you don’t qualify for FASFA doesn’t mean that you aren’t struggling with tuition. As your engagement VP I want every student to feel elevated and included, your story matters, your struggles matter and I am here to listen.
Valuing your life outside of being a student: We all have lives outside of being a student, whether that be working a full time job, being a parent, or commuting to come to school. You are an individual outside of campus, I want that to be recognized. In my year as your VP I want to work to make it so that professors cannot assign work during breaks or on recognized holidays. You deserve a break, life doesn’t need to revolve around your next due date.
Placing Value on our non traditional roots: I have been extremely lucky to have had a full ride scholarship all my years in higher education, I understand that being on campus for 25 hours a week to meet a scholarship quota is not realistic, I would like to open a scholarship opportunity that is more flexible to those who are non traditional students. We are a non traditional commuter university, yet most if not all students that are on student government are those following a traditional path, your voice matters and you deserve a place to make it known.
Previous UVUSA inclusion chair: In 2022/23 I served as your UVUSA inclusion chair which is on the engagement branch (the branch I am running to be a VP on!). In that year my position had allowed me to get to know what the students needs are at the core. I am Humanitarian at heart so my goal has always been for the greatergood. As your inclusion chair I was able to implement campaigns that bettered the student experience and I want to continue on this positive trajectory by leveling up to Vice president.
Ian Gotcher
Yoooo wassup wolverines!! It’s ya boy, Ian Gotcher (pronounced GOAT-cher, I usually just go by Ian, but feel free to call me the GOAT like my friends do.) This year I am running to be your next Vice President of Academic Senate so that we can make UVU GOATed together. I’m a senior from Pleasant Grove (20 mins north of UVU) who’s been at UVU since Fall 2019 and I’m majoring in Computer Science. I am a gamer 😎 - in my free time I like to game by myself (Super Mario, both the new Zeldas, Dark Souls, and many others) and with the boys (Palworld, Monster Hunter, Counter Strike, Jackbox, Lethal Company, and, of course, Minecraft.) I like to listen to music while doing homework or driving to and from UVU, everything from movie and video game soundtracks to classical music to jazz to Death Grips to the Krusty Krab trap remix. I also enjoy watching great TV shows and YouTube videos, anything from the unmatched greatness of Breaking Bad to the hilarity of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I also love to laugh and to make others laugh. Anyways, let’s get down to brass tacks and talk about my qualifications and my plan to MAKE UVU GOATED! 🐐🐐🐐
Kyle Cullimore
My name is Kyle Cullimore, and I'm from Gilbert, Arizona. I am a junior in the Biology program and hoping to get a minor in Entrepreneurship. My goal is to become an Endodontist and in the future create a non-profit to help students get into dental programs despite their background. While I'm not at UVU, I love hiking, running, playing soccer, playing the guitar or piano, skiing, surfing, swimming, and so much more. Ever since high school I have loved serving my school and students. Whether it's been through student council, sports, or different clubs, I've always wanted to be involved. When I transferred to UVU it was a fresh start at a school I was thrilled to be at. The first thing I noticed here at UVU, was the sense of community. Maybe it's the heated hallways, or the popcorn and pizza on Wednesdays, but it just felt like I belonged. Right away I wanted to learn what I could do in return, and started going out of my way to be involved. I joined multiple clubs, went to different events, and found ways to serve the students. I've had the privilege of getting to plan some large scale events with UVU this year, and I am wanting the opportunity to keep serving as The Vice President of Student Activities. Because of how welcomed I felt here, it's discouraging that so many of the students don't feel like they belong. It shouldn't be that way. College is so much more than just going to class. It's dancing with strangers at parties, it's yelling as loud as you can at the games, it's seeing the diverse lives and talents our fellow students have. I want to help each student here at UVU feel more connected, feel more seen, and feel more that UVU is a place for you.
Increase number of activities that reach even more student interest and demographics. A difficult part of major event planning is being able to excite every single person, however, that's not 100% the goal. In my opinion, it's all about making sure individuals feel like they belong. When we feel like we belong, that's when the excitement comes. As VP of Student Activities I plan on having a pre-activity planning form that ensures we are thinking about every student that attends UVU, not just the traditional student.
Increase collaboration with other groups that normally are overlooked, and help other clubs and groups gain recognition. The VP of Student Activities has a very unique role and so much potential to help groups and clubs gain recognition. UVUSA has gotten 1,000's of students to events. By collaborating with different groups and clubs on campus, we can create events that are longer lasting than a quick mosh, which is still fire, but instead turn them into events where connections are made, and we leave feeling more apart of our campus community.
Increase sense of wolverine pride and belonging through events and traditions. I've asked myself before, what helps create pride for a place or thing? As I've asked around, students feel that we create pride by buying into an idea, or making sacrifices for something. As VP of Student Activities I would create an incentive program that helps students socially buy into UVU, by attending UVUSA events, sporting events, art performances, etc. By providing this incentive and opportunity, students would want to explore and see much more of campus. Which in turn helps us buy into UVU and create that sense of pride. As I've gone to more and more events and activities on this campus, I have seen how amazing all the students are along with the diverse skills and talents this campus has to offer.
Community service experience. I've spent 5 years involved in student leadership programs, and event planning. I have a passion for being involved and helping different events and programs be successful. From my times living in Utah, Arizona, California, and even Thailand, I have made community service and involvement a big portion of my time, working on events such as races for charity, veteran resell shops, and building schools.
Organizational skills. When it comes to the life of a busy college student who works 20+ hours a week, is a full-time student, currently enrolled in multiple labs, and serves in the community, it's critical to be organized and efficient with the time I do have. Also, when it comes to event planning, it takes someone who knows what they're doing. It's important to be organized so that certain aspects of events don't get forgotten about such as collaboration efforts, inclusivity efforts, and safety precautions.
Driven. When I set my mind to a goal that I want to accomplish, I will do all that I can to make it happen. Especially when I know those I'm working for want those same goals. By listening to the students and what they want, I know how that would push me and help me make this campus a place for the students, by listening to their voice. Because at the end of the day, the VP of Student Activities job is to listen to the students wants and fight for them.
