2008 Woodie Awards
Student Body Pres. eats, sleeps, breathes St. Joe's
Maureen Catalano '09
Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: Features
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As he sprawled out and stretched his legs on the cream colored couch in a dimly lit room on the third floor of Wolfington, it seemed as though Student Body President Mike McDonald, '08, was just like any other college student in need of a nap.
McDonald is serving as Student Body President for the current spring semester and first semester of next year.
Since his freshman year at St. Joe's, he has been involved in the University Student Senate, first serving as a transitional freshman senator, then growing to the position of student Vice President for Academic Affairs, and peaking at his current position.
Being a big fish in a small pond is not new to McDonald. Growing up in rural Waynesboro, Pa., he attended Waynesboro Area Senior High, a school of roughly 1,200 students in total. McDonald was highly involved in student council since elementary school, so joining the USS at St. Joe's was a natural step for him.
"I've always been fascinated with politics," said McDonald. "I love being involved. Not necessarily just doing a lot of things but being part of the process. I love having my hand in things-because we can-and I think people tend not to take advantage of the ability they have to empower themselves and change what they want to change in their environment."
Waynesboro didn't just lead McDonald to his love for politics, but also shaped his character in many ways. The town's population is under 10,000 residents, and this small-town atmosphere made McDonald more adept at forming relationships.
"A community like Waynesboro taught me the value of paying attention to other people," said McDonald. "I feel like I approach leadership as giving a lot of attention to individuals who need anything from me, need my help or guidance. It taught me to slow down and be okay with taking it easy and not having to rush around all the time. I'm okay with taking time to sit down and talk to someone if they need to talk to me."
His personality was something that McDonald grew into throughout his 20 years. Growing up, he described himself as an annoying brat to his parents and his older sister. He also learned to ask questions from the get-go.
McDonald is serving as Student Body President for the current spring semester and first semester of next year.
Since his freshman year at St. Joe's, he has been involved in the University Student Senate, first serving as a transitional freshman senator, then growing to the position of student Vice President for Academic Affairs, and peaking at his current position.
Being a big fish in a small pond is not new to McDonald. Growing up in rural Waynesboro, Pa., he attended Waynesboro Area Senior High, a school of roughly 1,200 students in total. McDonald was highly involved in student council since elementary school, so joining the USS at St. Joe's was a natural step for him.
"I've always been fascinated with politics," said McDonald. "I love being involved. Not necessarily just doing a lot of things but being part of the process. I love having my hand in things-because we can-and I think people tend not to take advantage of the ability they have to empower themselves and change what they want to change in their environment."
Waynesboro didn't just lead McDonald to his love for politics, but also shaped his character in many ways. The town's population is under 10,000 residents, and this small-town atmosphere made McDonald more adept at forming relationships.
"A community like Waynesboro taught me the value of paying attention to other people," said McDonald. "I feel like I approach leadership as giving a lot of attention to individuals who need anything from me, need my help or guidance. It taught me to slow down and be okay with taking it easy and not having to rush around all the time. I'm okay with taking time to sit down and talk to someone if they need to talk to me."
His personality was something that McDonald grew into throughout his 20 years. Growing up, he described himself as an annoying brat to his parents and his older sister. He also learned to ask questions from the get-go.
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