Brandon Bess -
New SGA President
By Art Menius
Brandon Bess looks like an ordinary college student,
unassumingly dressed in a faded t-shirt from a major
sporting goods chain. Once you hear him speak with
eloquence beyond his years, however, you realize he is
a leader and a strong communicator. Bess is one of
those folks who can talk to anybody about anything
and knows how to listen, too. With those attributes, he
has been elected to serve as president for the 2005 -
2006 academic year of the Student Government Asso
ciation (SGA) at Wilkes
Community College. The
SGA officially represents the
student body and is responsi
ble for coordinating a variety
of educational, social, com
munity service and recrea
tional events for students.
“Brandon is a positive role
model for our student body
and an asset to our Student
Activities Program,” reports Scott Johnson, Student
Activities Coordinator at Wilkes Community College.
“He works extremely well with others, is energetic,
and demonstrates the initiative needed to carry out his
responsibilities.”
Bess, a North Wilkes High School alumnus, was bom
in Pageland, SC, and moved to Wilkes in 1993 with
his mother and stepfather, Angie and Dennis Wyatt.
They reside in the Mulberry neighborhood. He will be
entering his second year at WCC studying for an Asso
ciate in Arts degree. Next year he hopes to transfer to
Appalachian, NC State, or UNC-Chapel Hill. “I plan
to major in Environmental Science because I am an
outdoors person who loves wildlife,” Bess says. “The
more I can be outdoors the better. That’s why I enjoy
working at Jimmy’s Superette because I’m outdoors
and get to meet lots of people, and I am a people per
son.”
As a people person, Bess was drawn to Wilkes Com
munity College because the school helps foster direct
personal relationships among students, faculty, and
staff. “I didn’t want to jump into the big four-year
scene, and I can get the same first two years of educa
tion here. The instructors here are more willing to
work with you one on one. You’re not just a number at
WCC. Instructors have time to talk to you.”
In that environment, Bess quickly thrived. “Brandon
has been active in the Student Government Associa
tion and Baptist Student Union this past year,” John
son says. “As an assistant programming chairperson in
the SGA, he helped with organizing several student
activity events. He was very supportive of the SGA
executive officers and was always willing to take on
extra responsibilities.”
Bess enjoyed those activities so much, that he decided
to run for SGA president. “If I ran for president, I felt I
could reach out to the students more. So many people
at WCC are willing to help. I want to give back and
make a difference. I value this college. I wish more
people around here would become aware of this great
resource. I want to see more involvement in the clubs
on campus. I want to let the students know that there is
more than just going to class. I want to get more peo
ple involved and show that people are concerned. I
want students to see how much fun community college
is and that it is not just a stop on the way to a four-year
university.”
Bess’ service to his fellow students has brought him a
wealth of opportunities over the past couple of months.
On May 20 he traveled to the ASU campus with a se
lect group of WCC sophomores for the L.E.A.D.
(Leadership Exploration And Development) Retreat.
The purpose of this retreat was to bring together stu
dents from the various clubs and/or academic depart
ments to participate in discussions and information
sessions about issues related to college life. The next
month he and Meleah Gambill, SGA programming co
chair, spent a week at Peace College in Raleigh for the
NC Community College System Student Leadership
Institute. “We learned about different kinds of leader
ship and how to reach out to others. We talked about
how to be better leaders who can change with the
times.”
As western division chair, Bess represents 16 colleges
for the North Carolina Comprehensive Community
College Student Government Association (N4CSGA).
“We meet the second weekend of each month in Ra
leigh,” he explains. “We bring ideas to a higher level
that can take them before the Legislature. We also do
fall and spring conferences. We try to get all 58 com
munity colleges to come together to learn about every
thing from diversity to parliamentary procedure. We
identify the biggest concerns in the community college
system and serve as the voice of the system. I’ve been
on board for two months and will serve until next
May.”
The SGA presidency also gives Bess a seat on the
Wilkes Community College Board of Trustees. “The
WCC Board of Trustees values input. I am there as the
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