President of the IU Kokomo Student Government Association (SGA), Joshua Cochran, officially stepped down from his position on Nov. 5. This left the reigning Vice President, Katy Johnson, to interim until her official swear in ceremony was conducted on Dec. 5.
Writing tutor, full-time student, Managing Editor for Field: A Journal of Arts and Sciences, and now the President of the Student Government Association, Katy Johnson takes on the new occupation with great skill and a positive outlook.
Johnson was elected alongside Cochran by the student body this past Spring, and the pair shared many of the same goals for the 2024-2025 school year. Though it is currently unknown why Cochran resigned, Johnson feels her term will be a direct continuation of the previous president.
With the role of VP now empty, the SGA Constitution requires all positions below to step up and fill in the gaps. Previous Secretary, Macy Wilson, will now succeed to the Vice President position, and the previous Treasurer, Madison Campbell, will take on the Secretary position.
When asked about the transition, Johnson spoke of the temporary disarray of the organization. “It’s been a bit of a chaotic couple of weeks, but everybody’s been really resilient, everybody’s doing what they need to do, stepping into the roles they need to step in to.” She said.
“It helps that we did a three-day leadership retreat.” She attributes their success in this time of stress to the amount of team building and leadership training the group participated in over the summer.
Amongst the chaos, Johnson’s goal for her new position remains the same as when she was VP; to “keep improving SGA.” Part of her plan for improvement includes keeping all senator positions filled and continuing with their trainings to promote further growth. Johnson is also working to craft individual senator guides beyond just the constitution and bylaws. These guides will provide a more in-depth look into the positions for when future senators swear in.
As for her own guidance, Johnson has many people on and off campus to offer advice during her term including the SGA advisor, Andrea Halpin. “She’s a great mentor for everyone in SGA,” Johnson said. She also received previous mentoring from the 2023-2024 President, Andrea Turner-Rodriguez.
