Former Student Body President Kitrina Miller-Taylor found her career where social work meets social media.
Miller-Taylor, who served as Wichita State’s student body president in the 2019-2020 school year, said her time spent in Student Government Association (SGA) pushed her onto a path of self-discovery.
“I think it really pushed me to grow and learn about myself and, like, how much I can actually take on,” Miller-Taylor said. “And what self care actually means for me … and how to say no to things too. And that it’s okay to say no.”
Miller-Taylor graduated from WSU in 2020 with her bachelor’s of social work. A year later, she earned her master’s of social work with a concentration in violence and injury prevention at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Now, she works in marketing and communications.
Miller-Taylor reflected on her time in SGA. She said after working as an assistant for the student advocate with Rheanna Pierce, associate director of practicum, and then serving as the student advocate herself, Miller-Taylor decided to run for president.
“During my term as student advocate, I realized that I wanted to do more and wanted to help,” Miller-Taylor said.
Miller-Taylor said the transition from a non-political to a political position was a change of pace. Students previously came to her with questions as student advocate, but as president, she was expected to initiate interaction with students, administration and community members.
“As student body president, you are going to other people and other departments and having these meetings consistently,” Miller-Taylor said. “I don’t just wait until somebody comes to me. I consistently have to go out and talk to all these individuals, which I really loved.”
Miller-Taylor said her dedication to serving the student body was a significant time commitment, with her spending most of her day on campus in meetings, checking emails, signing bills, in office hours or in class.
“My year as student body president was intense. It was the busiest I’ve ever been in my entire life,” Miller-Taylor said. “The only time I was ever at home was whenever I was sleeping, and the moment I woke up, I was gone for the entire day.”
She said as student body president, she developed her skills in collaboration.
“The biggest thing that being student body president really teaches you (is) how to work with so many different people,” Miller-Taylor said.
Miller-Taylor outlined the struggle of navigating various situations with the cabinet, Senate, student body, and administration.
“It made me learn how to connect, how to work with other people that I was not used to working with and how to make sure that we work effectively together to make sure that projects and initiatives are completed,” Miller-Taylor said.
She said serving as student body grew her skills of adaptability and career discernment.
“It’s okay to do what’s best for myself and move on. And I honestly don’t think I would have been able to do that if it wasn’t for being president,” Miller-Taylor said.
For more information about the Student Government Association, visit wichita.edu/sga.
