Economics junior Eric Mendoza was elected student body president for the 2020-21 school year.
Students, faculty and candidates gathered at the E. King Gill statue on Friday, Feb. 21 awaiting the announcement to reveal the leadership positions for next school year, including the SBP. Mendoza most recently served as Speaker of Student Senate and has interacted with many groups on campus. In addition to his Bachelor of Science in economics, Mendoza is pursuing his master’s in finance at Mays Business School.
Political science junior Zach McCue, Mendoza’s campaign manager, said he could see Mendoza’s leadership potential from early in their friendship. McCue said Mendoza could do more for Texas A&M as SBP than as speaker of Student Senate.
“He stood up there, and his humility and ability to explain his vision was something that instantly caught my eye,” McCue said. “I could tell this was a leader who was going to do something special.”
Mendoza said those around him, including those working on his campaign, should receive recognition in the wake of his victory. He said the relationships built before he started running aided him when he started his campaign.
“I was certainly overwhelmed with support that I got from my team and from the community around us,” Mendoza said. “I would say that it was very much a humbling experience for many reasons. I think from the start, I really felt blessed to have people around me that supported me.”
In the two and a half years Mendoza has attended A&M, he has been involved in multiple groups on campus, including Student Government Association and the Consulting Club. Mendoza said he plans to use his connections in Koldus to bring his vision of A&M to light.
“The relationships within Koldus, the relationships within the university are going to be super impactful to ensure that we not only know how to function inside of SGA, but know how to bring that and translate that into actual impact on campus,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza said it is important to note there will not be a learning curve for this position. He said he plans to start performing the initiatives he promised in his campaign immediately with the help of his resources on campus.
“We have a list of things we ran on, a list of things we want to accomplish,” Mendoza said. “We certainly have a way that we believe we can get that done very quickly. What really has set us up for success is the fact that we have those relationships built, that we have people around this campus that can help us and we know who to call on.”
Agricultural leadership and development senior Trey Elizondo, Mendoza’s speaking manager, said Mendoza told him he wanted to make a difference for the students as SBP. Elizondo said Mendoza was never interested in the title.
“One of the main reasons why I decided to support Eric for student body president is because of his proven track record of what he’s done to make an impact here at Texas A&M,” Elizondo said. “I have never seen him take a leadership role out of the selfishness of wanting to hold the title, but to truly serve the student body of Texas A&M.”
Elizondo said Mendoza’s best quality is his honesty with those he works with and the whole of the student body. Mendoza does not beat around the bush when it comes to issues on campus.
“One thing he’s done as a student leader on campus already is to be extremely transparent,” Elizondo said. “Everything he does, he makes it known why he’s doing that and how it’s going to make an impact on campus.”
Mendoza said he intends to bring the thoughts of the student body into Student Government to ensure he is leading to the best of his ability.
“The first tasks are sitting down and ensuring that I know what I ran on, and I am keeping myself accountable, people that I hopefully have in my cabinet keeping me accountable to those same standards,” Mendoza said. “That starts with sitting down with leadership around this campus.”
McCue said Mendoza’s humility and generosity as a leader make him the best candidate for the job. McCue said Mendoza is sure to lead the student body well in the year to come.
“He’s a leader because he’s humble,” McCue said. “He knows that people follow somebody who’s not self-centered, who’s not looking out for themself, but who is ultimately looking out for the end goal or the end mission, which is to further the mission of Texas A&M and its student body.”