Dear Friends and Classmates,

I wanted to reach out through the Greyhound to introduce myself as—hard to believe—our year draws to a close. If we haven’t yet met, my name is Cory Hodson, a member of the class of 2015 and the rising student body president.

Ryan, (Ryan Blake, ’16, Vice President of Student Advocacy next year), Kelly (Kelly Lussier, ’15, Vice President of Social Affairs next year), and I have already begun planning for the future. We’ve amassed an impressive, diverse executive board with six new members to SGA, all of whom bring a fresh perspective and voice and are excited about the trajectory of our organization.  Meetings (and more meetings) have already taken place in order to bring student sentiment to the fore of our faculty and administrators in a more vital way next year and beyond.

But that’s not what this letter is about.

This weekend, in the midst of a late-semester, sun-splashed flurry of busyness, I took a break from my homework, planning, and meetings and decided to share a cigar with two of my best buddies at Loyola. The weather was perfect. In conversation, we recalled the night that I had so much work to do that I made a make-shift standing desk in their kitchen so I didn’t fall asleep while studying. We talked about a trip to Cape Cod that our roommates took going into sophomore year when we shared our hopes, fears, and expectations for the coming year. We laughed about the pain of ordering Romas in the early morning hours as the birds came out to start their days.  We reminisced about tough break-ups and bombed exams; about the virtue of hard work, of treating people well, of great hope for a fulfilling future.

And then I remembered why I have the strength and passion to lead and give back.

It’s all about our relationships at Loyola and beyond. Not the quantity, but the quality. Not the position, but the person. Not the accomplishments, but the character. And not the answers, but the questions the lead us to the people who allow us to be more authentic. It is my profound wish that wherever you are on your Loyola journey, you are moved to realize this importance.

When I started at Loyola in the fall of 2011, I would have not believed you if you said I’d be stepping into this role next year. I’m excited and determined; I’m also anxious and uncertain. Knowing that I am a member of a community which affirms and encourages one another in our strengths and bares with one another in our weaknesses is entirely re-assuring. As our school is at a critical juncture, I will need your support and passion next year in order that I may be the best president possible.

With every best wish,

Cory