Now stepping into the role of ASWSUV’s president, Armando Antonino, and new vice president, Evans Kaame, are both prepared to lead the university through the unprecedented 2020-21 academic year.
One summer evening, Vice President Armando Antonino received a letter of resignation from his partner and previous president of Associated Students of WSU Vancouver, Vita Blanco. Leaving him no choice but to fulfill the presidential position, Antonino and vice president, Evans Kaame, are committed to letting no barriers stop them while serving the student body.
Q: When did you find out the previous president had resigned and you were going to be the new president?
Armando: We had a little meeting. … I had no idea what the next steps were for ASWSUV. I did not even think that I would be the president, so it was a lot of emotions because I wanted to make sure that the previous president was doing okay, and everything was fine with her and sort of take a moment to breathe. Eventually, I was happy, and I was like ‘what a crazy turn of events.’ It has been a great honor and privilege.
Evans: It was something that we did not expect, and Mando stepped up into the position of the presidency and has been doing great work, and everyone has been seeing that.
Q: How was the new vice president selected after you assumed the president position?
Armando: It is in our bylaws that the vice president steps up to the president role, and then the president now would be in charge of recommending a [vice president] to the senate and then the senate elects the VP.
Q: Was Evans your first choice for vice president?
Armando: I actually found out about Vita’s resignation through Evans. At first, it was not clear. I was just going through a lot at the time, still getting accustomed to being the president, figuring out our next steps. I think I knew because Evans was there all summer, always helping us out [and with] his previous experience [as Clark College’s student body president] he is so enlightened and smart. I cannot get over that, he was like a backbone for the summer administration. So, I thought it was only appropriate Evans would be an amazing fit for VP.
Q: What are your goals as president and vice president?
Armando: I feel my goals include making sure that every student knows that we are here for them during these difficult times and advocating as strongly as we can to make sure that the student’s needs are put first. … Connecting students with resources is another huge one. Making sure the students know what resources are on campus in the community, and how we can better improve those resources. But also have fun. Everything is very serious, and always life or death, it seems like. So I just try to have fun with everyone, meet as many new students as I can, get to know them, their stories, why they chose WSU and what keeps them going.
Evans: The first one is to serve students in any way possible. … The second goal is to support the president and the cabinet and the executive staff with any initiative, any proposals, anything to support the executive leadership. The third thing is to help the senate whenever they need me, either in interpreting the bylaws or interpreting the constitution and how to change the constitution, or how to change the bylaws currently.
Q: What was your leadership experience before your current positions? Were you in leadership in high school or anything like that?
Armando: No, actually, this is really my first time in a leadership position. I was in a few clubs in high school, and that was pretty much the extent of my leadership. In college, I was the president of the Fashion Club and I was pretty much only leadership in that. Then I worked at the cafeteria for two years. I was serving students, just in a different area. I sort of just took that leap of faith, and now I am the president, but everything I feel like has sort of combined to help me be this type of leader.
Evans: I was part of the student government over [in Kenya], but that was more of a high school mentality, like getting some social status kind of thing. There is a difference. I can take a day to explain the most basic principles and why leadership in college right now is so different from how we were serving students back in high school.
Q: Was moving to the states in 2018 a big change for you?
Evans: It has been a blessing for me. This community over here has been a really welcoming community for me. The Clark College community embraced me as an individual and as someone who is passionate about leadership and so into serving people. … I realized the first three months that I came to the United States, or I began to take lessons at Clark, I was born to serve people, and I never knew that until that conviction was put into my heart.
Q: Do you both plan to run again next year?
Evans: I think we still have this passion to serve the students, and as long as we get to be at Washington State, we will still be serving the students in any capacity.