A Profile of SGA President Kevin Dixon

ARIGE SHROUF| Sept. 15  

ST. CROIX — Jack Welch once said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

St. Croix— Jack Welch once said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

There are leaders of large nations and small organizations, but great leaders strive to help and inspire others; they “have a heart for outreach.” Student Government Association (SGA) President Kevin Dixon has been described as one such leader.

Since being elected president last year, Kevin has made it his mission to “move the organization forward” in order to better serve the student body. Under his leadership, SGA has become an organization that junior Zoe Walker believes “could really make a difference.”

A senior majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing, Kevin Dixon is a very busy person. On his second year at UVI, he decided to “get involved” on campus and that has been one of his goals ever since.

In addition to being second-term SGA president, Kevin Dixon is also a member of several other clubs, organizations and committees on campus. These include the UVI Senate, the Honorary Degree Committee, the Voices of Inspiration Choir and the St. Croix Presidential Advisory Committee. With so much on his plate, Dixon still manages to excel in his classes and is even the student ambassador for the Thurgood Marshal College Fund.

How does he do it? “Long nights and weekends” and learning to “balance and prioritize.”

“It’s stressful, but knowing the stress is worth it, makes it okay. When you have a purpose, it makes up for all the stress and when it’s over and you know you did things right and people enjoyed it, it’s all worth it.”

One word Kevin Dixon tries to live up to is “ambitious.” He is motivated by “that sense of having an impact.”

Even at sixteen he had taken on leadership positions in an effort “to help change lives.” He led walks in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in which his group raised the most money.  During his second year at UVI, Kevin joined SGA and became its public relations officer. He then became treasurer and worked his way “up the scale” to president of the organization.

However, Kevin has not always been the confident and charismatic young man you can see walking around campus greeting people with a smile. Before becoming a leader, Kevin faced his own struggles to “grow himself.”

When he moved here from St. Kitts in 2003, Kevin was “shy and quiet” and he “did not like speaking in front of audiences.” Today, he can be seen giving speeches and representing various organizations at events.

He credits the change in him, in part, to the “support of his family members,” and Ms. Washington, Ms. Finch and Ms. Elliot. However, the greatest influence in Kevin’s life has been his pastor, who acted as “a mentor and role model” to a young Kevin Dixon.

Without the influence of people such as his pastor, Kevin believes he “would not be as involved on campus as he is.” He also “would not have grown as much as he has in the past few years” in which he has overcome most of his shyness to become the public figure he is on campus today. For that influence, says Kevin, he is “really grateful.”

Just as others have inspired and influenced his life, Kevin hopes to use his leadership skills to “inspire others” and “touch other people’s lives.”

As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

For Kevin Dixon, “it is always a pleasure serving.” He advises students to “get involved” and “set themselves apart from other students by showing they are well rounded.” Kevin says about every situation, “make the best of it.”

Sophomore Felicia Emmanuel describes Kevin as “not only a strong leader, but also a visionary.

Using fresh ideas such as the SWAGG (Students with a Greater Goal) movement, he not only improved the appeal of SGA, but also how SGA stays current with the student body” Emmanuel said.

Because of Kevin’s dedication and effectiveness as a leader, several family members and individuals have been encouraging Kevin to run for government office. It makes sense, they argue, “since he has been setting himself up to do so.”

“It’s definitely something to think about,” says Kevin, but right now, he is focused on his last year at UVI and intends to “go out with a bang.”