Monica Finnegan of the Dallas Hall Steps
I'd like to tell you all a story about politics. When I was a freshman in high school, I ran for class president. Not because I was the most popular student or brightest, but because I wanted to change things and have a positive impact. I am always looking to mix things up. If you haven't noticed, since I have launched my website a little over a years ago, I have rebranded once and redesigned my web site at least five times. In business, as with life, reevaluating and updating day-to-day operations is crucial to longevity and success. I am constantly thinking about how I interact with CSP, and subsequently how CSP and I interact with the general public. My overall goal is to create positive outcomes for CSP clients and fans.
Back to the original story. When I ran for class president, I was running against three of the most popular classmatesin my grade. When students run for class president at my school, the faculty and staff would gather everyone in the class into the cafeteria for candidate speeches. If you were running, you would stand up in front of the class of around 150 students, give your speech, and hope for the best.
Most of the speeches that were given were basically resumes in speech form. For example, one of the candidates talked about how he was a leader on the soccer team and that is why he was a good candidate. Nothing wrong with that. I just prefer being able to execute and follow through with ideas as opposed to being a passive leader. My strategy was to be a man of action, not a man making empty promises.
Monica Finnegan at Dallas Hall
When I stood up for my speech, I gave three specific fundraising ideas: a dinner and a movie night, selling Christmas tree ornaments, and hosting a video game tournament. When I finished my speech with these ideas, there was dead silence. After a second or two, the room erupted in applause. I could see it in my peers eyes, it was like I had discovered fire.
They officially results were never released, but through a few connections, I eventually found out that I had won the election by a landslide. As a young adult, it was one of my proudest moments. Facing adversity, challenging the status quo, and succeeding against all odds - how often does that happen in real life?! It is one of my fondest memories from my childhood, and I try to embrace what I gained from that experience in every facet of my life.
Why did I tell you this story? Because I met Monica Finnegan, who also happens to be entering the political arena.
Monica Finnegan on the Boulevard
I was recently asked by my friend Savannah Stephens to help Monica with her campaign photos, and we met for the shoot about two weeks ago. During the shoot I talked to Monica about her campaign for SMU Student Body Vice President. In our conversation, I saw a lot of myself in her. I saw how she was someone who iswilling to challenge the status quo. Someone who will stand up for what is right, even if it is unpopular. Someone with fresh ideas and the drive to make positive change happen. I saw everything I had stood for almost 8 years ago.
It is so refreshing to know that there are still hidden gems like Monica at SMU, and there is no one I would rather see as the new SMU Student Body Vice President!
Below are some of the photos from our campaign shoot. To see Monica's campaign platform, go to http://votemon.com/
Monica Finnegan on Dallas Hall steps
Monica Finnegan in front of Dallas Hall
