Social work major and student body president Kim Hodges becomes a strong, innovative leader at Saint Mary’s.

Social work major Kim Hodges’ road to student body president began in high school. “I was very active. You name it—class president, service club president—I did everything. So it was quite natural for me to come to college and be involved,” she says.

Elected first as a member of the Board of Governance, then appointed as treasurer, Kim increased her level of social engagement each year until she was elected student body president.

The election process inspired Kim’s creativity, innovation, and diplomacy. “You have to find a way to get things done when people may not be on your side,” she says. She’s become better at motivating people. “I’ve learned to go behind closed doors and find out who the key players are to help me do what’s necessary to get my job done.”

Her activities have been varied through the years. “As the vice president of the Student Diversity Board, I helped plan programming to educate the campus about diversity issues affecting the Saint Mary’s community as well as society as a whole,” Kim says. She co-founded the Diverse Students’ Leadership Conference and has mentored young women through the Office of Multicultural Affairs, hosting high school sophomores who visit campus and spend the night as part of the My First Day in College program.

Kim says the friendly, supportive environment at Saint Mary’s College has made it the perfect place to fine-tune her skills. “As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned to build something from the ground up on this campus and make it into a well-attended event. The College helps us make things happen.”