Rhoda Warner '16
- Senior from Springfield, Illinois
- Student Government Association (SGA) President
- Religious studies-psychology double major
- Student Ambassador
- Resident Assistant
- Campus Ministries
- Lyn Huxford Center for Community Service Scholar
- Advanced Leaders Program
Rhoda Warner '16 could fill up an entire page with her extra-curricular involvements alone. The senior
SGA president has been extremely involved at McKendree since day one. As a freshman,
she was elected to the Student Government Association as a senator. From there, Rhoda moved up to parliamentarian, eventually leading to
her decision to run for president. “I watched other SGA presidents leave an everlasting
impact on the organization, and I aspire to do the same,” she said. Her presidency
goals include strengthening the relationships between SGA and other campus organizations.
"I hope to create an environment within the organization where students feel comfortable
speaking with each other about passionate issues.”
She may be the president, but Rhoda doesn’t foresee a future in politics. After graduation,
she plans to continue her education by pursuing a master’s in divinity and psychology.
Rhoda has always has high aspirations, for which she thanks her grandmother, who is
her role model.
“As a child, she would always ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and my response
would be, ‘a lawyer, a basketball player and a psychologist.’ She would smile as she
said, ‘You have the ability to be all those things, the power to change the world,
and the heart to heal it.’” Rhoda holds her grandmother’s words dearly.
“I have lived by that statement every day of my life, believing that I carry a little
piece of something that may change a little fraction of the world one day.”
Rhoda has certainly made an impact on McKendree University, and she says that the
University has had an equal impact on her. “I have gained the power of education and
many tools for my future at McKendree University. I now have a new outlook on the
world, the people in it, and the challenges I seek because of McKendree.
"I am a firm believer in the phrase ‘everything happens for a reason’ and McKendree is the perfect place for me to grow, thrive, and excel to new heights.”
Learn more about McKendree University and the Student Government Association (SGA).
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