At the time I’m writing this, Welcome Week hasn’t happened yet. That’s something I want to talk to you about.

You have just started on your journey through college. Journey. Adventure. Experience.

Whatever you call it, college has its fair share of ups and downs. It’s a taste of real life and a place for growth. If you set goals and plan ahead, you stand a much better chance of succeeding and having more “ups.”

I have some goals for Welcome Week. When I pick this up paper Thursday morning, I hope I have accomplished three goals: Having fun, finding great applicants for Student Government Association’s seven Freshman Member-At-Large positions, and making some new friends.

This paper must be written, organized, proofread, and printed before it reaches your hands. The lesson here is that achieving something is rarely immediate.

It takes a lot of hard work, but definitely pays off. I hope you remember some of the words I spoke at Convocations.

The theme is “Shaping the Future.” Let the knowledge that your future is in your hands guide your choices and lead you to a bright future.

With that in mind, I would just like to say: I hope you had a blast at Welcome Week! Hopefully you made some great memories, met new friends, and feel welcome at USI.

-Zack Mathis, SGA President