Let’s flash forward three years. Mike is speaking at Moby Arena in front of nearly 4,000 incoming students during convocation. Right before entering the stage, President Tony Frank was standing in front of him in a gown, surrounded by faculty members and the University’s top leaders. Mike was about to welcome the newest incoming class while trying not to throw up from the nerves.

This is the moment that he realized that what he did on campus for the next year was going to impact 30,000+ students.

You’ve probably seen him around campus, as he can be spotted at any given time with an anchor accessory. Whether it be his anchor chain, his anchor ring or the anchor buttons on his suit, Mike is always grounded. On casual days, he kicks it in New Balances and a long sleeve Comfort Threads t-shirt.

If you knew Mike freshman year, you could’ve predicted he would be in this position. He’s currently Vice President of the Student Body, working on launching a Financial Literacy Course, chairing the Student Fee Review Board and chairing Senate. He’s a fixer, and he handles things behind the scenes. That’s why he fits so well with Student Body President Daniela Pineda Soracá, since she’s the dreamer.

Mike’s a go-getter. After high school, he promised himself that he would get involved wherever possible in college. In Summit Hall C4, his hallmates weren’t typical freshmen. They were sophomores, juniors and seniors, so they showed him the ropes around campus.

During Elections Season in Spring 2016, Mike was concurrently rushing Sigma Pi while campaigning. He describes these times as “16-hour days” where he would wake up at 6 a.m. and go to sleep at 2 a.m. After the grind was over and the election was won, by just 22 votes at that, Mike used three words to describe the victory: overwhelmed, mellow and excited.

I got the goosebumps as he told me what it was like to win. “I was just there laughing,” he said. “It was so overwhelming because our campaign team was just three people. Immediately after winning, we were approached by our advisors with a timeline sheet.” This is when things started to take off. He told me he almost cried in his apartment after going home. He was so overwhelmed, yet mellow and excited at the same time. Three weeks prior to this, he wasn’t even going to run.

Looking forward into next semester, Mike wants to get matching tattoos with Daniela of Tony Frank’s face. Just kidding. On a more serious note, however, the launching of the Financial Literacy Course is his biggest initiative as far as ASCSU goes. Personally, he wants to solidify his plans for next year.

If you’d like to get in touch with Mike, stop by the ASCSU Office Complex in the Lory Student Center.

ASCSU Deputy Chief of Staff and ASCSU Blogger Christina Vessa can be reached online at blogs@collegian.com or online at @ChrissyVessa.