Hey everyone, Nand Javia here again to provide insight into my student government experience at the community college I went to.  

I am currently an international student from India studying at Texas Christian University. Before transferring to TCU, I went to Orange Coast College in California, was the Vice President of the Student Government, and worked on some exciting projects for the college.

Without any prior experience in the student government, I applied for a few open positions at that time. My main goal was to meet more students and make friends. I was excited to be selected for a second-round interview in front of the student senate. I had to pitch how I planned to implement projects that would benefit the student body. It was a very nerve-wracking moment because I did not know a lot of those student senate members. Usually, when you go for these types of interviews, you already know the senate members as they are your friends or classmates.

After the interviews, the senate members vote for the president and the vice president positions. To my absolute surprise, they liked my pitch and selected me as the vice president! At that very moment, I had no idea what I needed to do to be successful in that position, but I eventually figured it out.

About six months later, I was getting burned out by the number of things I had going on. I took several classes, worked my part-time job, went to student government meetings, and more. This was the time when I decided to let go of some things and learned to prioritize. 

This was a big lesson for me as I learned to let go and manage my time more efficiently. It was tough for me to let go of the vice president position as I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But as soon as I let go of the job, I was so much happier and could clear my headspace of at least one item on my list.

My counselor at that time told me one simple thing which all students should know. She said, "Your mental health is of uttermost importance. The student government will keep going on with or without you." This hit me so hard that it changed my perspective on several activities. Now I do not hesitate to let go of specific programs or organizations if I think I do not have time for it as I know they will go on with or without me.

I hope this helps you figure out how to let go and put your well-being and mental health first, as those are always the most important things at any stage of your life. 

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