OPINION: GUEST COLUMN: The campus: It’s in your hands

By Lourdes Maria Boardman
Student Government Association President
Published Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021

It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to write here, but most of all for you to read this. I am Lourdes Maria Boardman, your current student government president. I decided to write a little about my experience and try to motivate you to become more engaged and involved in our University.

Entering Texas A&M International University in 2019 was a challenging experience for me. I finished high school in Nuevo Laredo. Spanish is my first language; it was the first time I changed schools, so everything was new for me. I remember falling in love with our campus since the first time I saw it; I knew TAMIU was the place I wanted to graduate from.

Since I wanted to focus primarily on my studies, in my freshman year I decided to be as little involved as possible by dedicating my time to primarily studying. My schedule usually consisted of going to class, sitting at the library by myself and returning home. I spent a lot of time analyzing how other students were able to balance their academic and extracurricular lives and I low-key wanted to do the same thing. My fears stopped me from becoming more involved at that moment; in my sophomore year, an unexpected event happened around the world, which forced me to suspend my college experience. The pandemic helped me realize that my time at college is momentary and that time management, academic success and decision-making … it’s on me!

So I decided to expand my horizons by entering different campus organizations and associations, following my dreams of becoming part of something bigger and I pushed my fears away. Being a student at TAMIU is one of my favorite things to be. The people I meet, the events I attend, the academic achievements I reached and the organizations I joined all made this time of my life a memorable adventure and a huge self-growth experience.

I will be more than happy to help you make your experience at TAMIU unforgettable. This is why I want to extend an invitation from one student to another, for you to advocate your thoughts, ideas and concerns to the right place—the Student Government Association. At SGA, we can help and guide you for a better understanding of the resources and opportunities TAMIU offers.

Mahatma Gandhi said one of my favorite quotes: “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change toward him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

[Editor’s Note: Gandhi’s famous quote is often misquoted or simplified as, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” A similar spirit is present in both versions and matches Gandhi’s philosophy. According to checkyourfact.com, the simplified quote “has not been found in any of his written works or speeches.”]

You and I have the chance and power to be the change we want to see in our beloved alma mater, let’s make it count!