Aggie Story
For Isaiah Tsau, growing up as a first-generation American instilled in him characteristics that bode well at A&M.
Tsau said his father — a Chinese immigrant who taught himself computer programming and worked his way up from small companies to working as a software engineer for NASA — taught him the value of hard work while his mom — a special-needs teacher who works with cancer patients from China at M.D. Anderson — reminds him of the value of humility.
Tsau said he came to A&M when his brother was a senior on campus and the first thing he noticed was the Aggie family.
“I remember from day one, the first thing that stuck out to me was when you meet someone they say, ‘Howdy’ — number one. Number two, they look you dead in the eye and number three, they just crush your hand.”
Because he is paying his way through college, Tsau said he has worked a wide array of jobs to pay off loans.
“I remember my freshman year when I paid off my tuition, I walked in between the skywalk between the MSC and Rudder, found a little corner for myself, called home and said, ‘Mom, I have $42 in my account,’” Tsau said. “That’s probably the only time in my life I asked my dad for money.”
Tsau said he draws inspiration from some of the cancer patients his mom worked with who have passed away. Their zest for life pushes him to be grateful for the opportunities in life.
Tsau said he is looking to empower others on campus and engage more of the thousands of students who don’t get involved during elections.
Platform
In a population of more than 50,000, Tsau said campus is home to a diverse set of people and that this diversity comes in many forms, including intellectual, cultural, ethnic, gender, work experience and socioeconomic diversity. The goal of his platform is to address this diversity in a way that is more engaging than current student body president roundtables.
One of his bigger goals is the creation of the “Pass It Back App,” either as a separate mobile app or an extension of the TAMU mobile app. Tsau said this app would allow students to send concerns directly to the student body president.
With the app, Tsau said students will be able to request things like CARPOOL or Corps of Cadets escorts with the push of a button. Tsau said he also hopes to build an anonymous reporting capability into the app. Tsau said he hopes to have a prototype soon, but there are still logistical problems in need of further development.
Tsau said he would like to revamp the SBP newsletter with catered notifications of various events on campus, including Silver Taps and sporting events, according to the user’s decision.
Tsau also hopes to advocate for increased parking on campus, reasonable permit pricing and pardons for a student’s first parking violation.
Tsau said he hopes to reach out to groups within the Department of Multicultural Services and across campus.
“If you are involved in SGA, I’d like to see you reaching out more to different areas of campus,” Tsau said.