Meet UVA Wise SGA President William Rudeseal
William Rudeseal, a native of Toccoa, Georgia, has made the most of his time at UVA Wise since transferring to the College in the spring of 2023. In fact, during the school year, most of his days are booked solid. In addition to serving as Student Government Association (SGA) President, Rudeseal, a history major with minors in both secondary education and sports management, is also a senior resident assistant and an offensive lineman on the UVA Wise football team.
We recently sat down with to Rudeseal to learn more about him and his vision for the SGA.
Why did you choose UVA Wise?
I was at a place in my life where things weren’t really working out at my former university, and I found myself looking for a revamp. UVA Wise felt like home to me. I really enjoyed the way all the coaches, faculty and staff welcomed me when I was on my campus visit. It was very evident that the athletic department really cared about their student athletes. I was also very impressed with the way the community seemed to rally around the College. UVA Wise was the culmination of all the things I had been missing previously.
Why did you decide to get involved with the SGA?
I’ve always been the kind of guy that really loves helping people. I pride myself on being someone that serves others, and I think the SGA is one of the biggest opportunities on campus to serve my fellow classmates.
I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless and make sure that everyone on campus is heard.
The SGA is the bridge between students and the senior leadership on campus and I think we really have made it a point to create and foster great relationships across the campus community to ensure the College is running smoothly. With my run as president, I just want to make sure that students have the opportunity and resources they need to be successful.
What are some of the things you have accomplished and hope to accomplish in your term with the SGA?
We have managed to increase our budget by almost fifty percent. With enrollment being at an all-time high, we wanted to make sure that it was possible to accommodate all students on campus. We have also unveiled two new SGA logos that are meant to symbolize the student voice on campus.
Transparency is something that we as an organization have decided is important, so we hope to roll out a newsletter that showcases all of our events, initiatives and other important student resources. I think the biggest thing for us is that we get more students involved. We have hosted a lot of successful events so far and hope to have a lot more things in store for students.
I’m very proud of the people around me and what we are doing. Vice President Mikey Hobbs does a tremendous job, as well as student-board member Layne Bush, Secretary Ella Creagh and Treasurer Gavin Monk.
What some things you would tell new or incoming UVA Wise students to put on their bucket list?
- Come to Cavapalooza in the spring. A lot of work goes into putting on that event and it’s such a fun experience.
- Attend late-night breakfast. It’s nice to see faculty and staff come out and support us before we take our finals.
- Attend any home sporting event where we play Emory and Henry. The student sections are always packed and full of excitement.
- Come to the Homecoming dance this fall. The SGA is very excited to bring some very beloved events back to life. It will be a fun experience for all.
Have you participated in experiential learning opportunities during your time at the College?
I have done a lot of observing in the classroom and am looking forward to doing student teaching as a part of my major. I think it will be a very interesting experience going into the classroom to learn and prepare to teach the next generation of future Cavaliers. I have so much respect for educators. I have had the opportunity to observe in classrooms of several UVA Wise alumni and I can say that I think they do the College proud.