The past two weeks on Andrews University’s campus have been marked by the campaigns of students running to be a part of the Andrews University Student Association (AUSA) cabinet for the 2025-2026 school year. On Friday, Feb. 28, the polls closed, and the results for the Cabinet were announced. This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing newly elected AUSA president, Alyssa Caruthers (junior, political science and English). Alyssa, who is completing her term as the current executive vice president of AUSA, shared what her hopes are for next year and how she plans to use her leadership position to improve the student experience on our campus.
What made you want to run for president?
Initially, I didn’t want to run because this year was already a lot. We had many challenges that affected my experience, and there were a lot of outside voices telling me to do it. The final thing that made me decide to run was when I felt like I got a sign. I was reading my devotional, and in it, there was a line that said, “God’s given you these gifts, so you can’t just waste them,” and that’s when I knew I had to run.
What changes do you hope to implement?
The two things I really want this year is to bring presence and definition to the team. I think there have been a lot of questions among the students about who we are and what we do, and I want to bring a definition to what the team does. I want the students to be able to reference and use us as a resource. I would also like to do more things in the community, off-campus. It’s all about advocacy, and to do that they need to feel like we’re their friends.
What do you feel is the most important character trait you bring to the table which is vital for this role?
I am very straightforward and blunt, but I think I have a sense of humor that goes with it. I know when to keep people in check, and being a leader in the senate also helps me with that skill.
What do you expect to be the most difficult challenge ahead of you?
It’s not always easy to work with the administration of this campus. A lot of the concerns students bring to us are things which are embedded in Andrews’ history, so sometimes it’s out of our control. I am really excited about working with this team, though. I think we have a lot of good people, and I am excited to lead and see growth in myself and growth in the people around me on campus.
What kind of legacy do you want to leave as president?
As “Hamilton” said it best, “Legacy is planting a seed in a garden that you’ll never get to see.” I definitely want people to think that I did a good job, and I want them to have something big on campus that we did, which we can leave behind … There’s already things in the works, I won’t say much now, but I’m very excited for what’s in store.
As her final words, Alyssa voiced a vote of thanks to all the students who took part in voting and electing her into this position. “Thank you for trusting in me and voting for me. As I said in my speech earlier, I hope we can make this the best year yet.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.